Breaking news: Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua impeached
The National Assembly during a past session.
Allies of President William Ruto and opposition leader Raila Odinga on Tuesday attacked Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua during the debate on the impeachment motion in the National Assembly.
From the shareholders' remarks, the insubordination allegations, that of having an acerbic tongue and the public rebuke of the director-general of the National Intelligence Service, Mr Rigathi was a man tossed from one lawmaker to another as they took turns to rebuke him.
Kilifi North MP Owen Baya, while seconding the motion, accused the Deputy President of balkanising the country through his shareholding remarks and demand for more resources for the Mt Kenya region.
"His shareholding remarks show us that there is no harmony in the presidency, he wants to balkanise this country. As a parliament, we must refuse to buy into the Deputy President's theory. By the end of today, this House must not have a Deputy President who wants to balkanise this country," Mr Baya said.
Rarieda MP Otiende Amolo said Mr Gachagua deserved to be impeached because he had violated the Constitution by repeatedly saying that Kenya was a company and those who did not vote for Kenya Kwanza would not benefit.
"From yesterday's interview, it is clear that the DP can no longer work with the President. If you can subordinate the boss, then if a person has to go, it's the subordinate who has to go and not the boss," Dr Amollo said.
He said Mr Gachagua struggled to explain that he was not corrupt, a clear demonstration that he was corrupt and therefore unfit to hold office.
"The DP took an hour and a half to explain why he is not corrupt. That is prima facie evidence of corruption. Someone who is not corrupt can only take a second to explain, not 90 minutes," Dr Amollo said.
Tharaka MP George Murugara said by impeaching Mr Gachagua, the House was only respecting the will of the people who called for his ouster through the public participation the House conducted on Friday and Saturday.
Mr Murugara said it would be untenable for the Deputy President to continue in office if he survived the impeachment motion.
"If the DP survives this impeachment today, where will he work? He cannot work with the President because he said this motion is sponsored by the President. We did not have a PG to take a common position," said Mr Murugara.
Other MPs Gladys Boss Shollei (Uasin Gishu), Mishi Mboko (Likoni), TK Kwajang' (Ruraka), Faith Gitau (Nyandarua), John Makali (Kanduyi), Silvanus Osoro (South Mugirango) and others also called for Mr Gachagua's impeachment.
However, the deputy president received support from unlikely quarters after Kitui Central MP Makali Mulu opposed the motion, urging his colleagues to focus on other important issues affecting Kenyans.
Dr Mulu had a tough time defending Mr Gachagua as he was interrupted several times by unnecessary points of order and shouts from MPs who charged him to deal with any person derailing the DP's course.
Undeterred, Dr Mulu braved the hostile environment and called out his colleagues, warning them against what he called a mob lynching of Mr Rigathi as the courts will overturn the decision, a move that will bring shame to the image of the House.
"I have listened to the grounds of this impeachment motion and I wonder if they meet the grounds for impeaching the Deputy President," Dr Mulu said.
MPs guilty too
Dr Mulu hit out at his colleagues who said the DP should be impeached over his shareholder remarks, saying even MPs were guilty of the same offence.
"We are all politicians, let's be honest with ourselves, how many of us are not standing up for the interest of our people here? Dr Mulu asked.
"The people of Kitui Central have said kufa dereva, kufa makanga, kufa mechanic, I oppose this motion. The people of Kenya have more serious issues to deal with," he added.
Mukurweini MP John Kaguchia, while opposing the motion, said the House should come up with a mechanism to bring the two leaders together instead of pursuing the impeachment route.
"I wish as a country we should be able to bring our leaders together in case there is disagreement, if we open the Pandora's box of impeachment, we will bring something that we will not be able to control," Mr Kaguchia said.
Kajiado North MP Ngogoyo Onesmus, who also opposed the motion, described the evidence presented as hot air.
"I have gone through the evidence presented, for instance, Mr Mutuse is telling us that having 22 companies is an intention to launder money and he says this House should just believe and impeach the DP," Mr Ngogoyo said.
"To impeach the deputy president requires more evidence than that. I find this very superficial, in the words of the Chief Justice, this is just hot air," said Mr Ngogoyo.
Another gallant soldier of the deputy president, Gathoni Wamuchomba (Githunguri), also rose several times on points of order to question the facts used by her colleagues to lynch Mr Gachagua.
