Senators have voted to uphold the impeachment of Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua following a tumultuous trial that concluded on Thursday, October 17.
The Senate upheld the National Assembly’s earlier vote, which cited 11 allegations against him, including corruption, abuse of office, and incitement of ethnic discord.
“All Senators are eligible to cast their votes and we are going to vote for the charges separately. So we are going to vote 11 times,” Senate speaker Amason Kingi announced before they started voting.
The Senate voted on each of the eleven allegations levelled against Gachagua attaining the 2/3rds which is 45 Senators.
On Ground 1, Gross violation of Articles 10 (2) (a), (b) and (c); 27 (4), 73 (1) (a) and (2)(b); 75 (1)(c), and 129 (2) of the Constitution and Articles 147 (1), as read with Article 131 (2) (c) and (d) of the Constitution, 53 Senators voted in favour while 13 opposed.
The threshold is that Gachagua needed to be found guilty on one of the charges meaning he stood impeached with the first charge.
This historic decision makes him the first deputy president in Kenya to be removed from office under the revised constitution since 2010, preventing him from holding public office in the future.
Earlier, on Thursday, October 17, the Senate trial of the DP was suspended after he fell ill and was hospitalized. Speaker Amason Kingi announced that the sitting would resume at 5 PM.
Confusion swept through the upper house when Gachagua went missing during the plenary session, prompting his legal team to abruptly cut short its defence.
They raised concerns with Speaker Kingi, requesting additional time to locate the absent deputy president.
Tension escalated as Speaker Kingi urged Gachagua’s legal team to present their key witness—Gachagua himself—who was scheduled to testify on Thursday afternoon.
“Honourable Speaker, we are waiting for the deputy president, and my colleagues can stand in for me, let me make enquiries where he is,” Senior Counsel Paul Muite pleaded with Speaker Kingi.
