Kenya: Deputy president faces impeachment vote in parliament

Kenya’s deputy president Rigathi Gachagua is facing an impeachment proceeding with a vote likely to take place on Tuesday.

Lawmakers plan to launch the impeachment proceedings against Gachagua who is accused of undermining the government.

This could further worsen the current crisis within the Kenyan government triggered by months of unrest and protests by young people.

The protests were over a disputed finance bill, forcing President Ruto to shelve the legislation in June and fire almost his entire cabinet.

Local media reporting has reflected a widening rift between President William Ruto and his deputy for months now.

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The deputy president has complained about being sidelined but denied masterminding the unrest.

He told reporters on Sunday that such accusations were just “a futile attempt to soil my name and hopefully create grounds for the mooted impeachment proceedings against me.”

Parliament’s majority leader, Kimani Ichung’wah told the media on Sunday that he backs the impeachment move against the deputy president.

“It is true there is an impeachment motion against the deputy president and as the member of parliament for Kikuyu, I have already appended my signature to it,” he said.

“I will support that impeachment motion to stop a process where government is being undermined and sabotaged from within government,” according to Ichung’wah.

But the deputy president said “Without the president’s go-ahead, the motion cannot reach parliament. If it reaches parliament, it is the president who has authorised it.”