Political analysts say the relationship between President William Ruto and Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua has been irreparably damaged by mistrust and political manoeuvring, regardless of the outcome of the impeachment.
They defied the odds to win power in the 2022 presidential election.
But it is now official that the relationship between President William Ruto and his deputy, Rigathi Gachagua, will never be the same - whether the deputy survives impeachment or not.
Buoyed by his newfound relationship with Mr Raila Odinga, his main rival in the 2022 elections, President Ruto, though yet to make a public statement on the impeachment motion against his deputy, appears to have pulled the rug out from under Mr Gachagua.
Read: How MPs voted during DP Rigathi Gachagua impeachment
This is evidenced by the support for the motion by the majority of MPs from the ruling UDA party and Mr Odinga's opposition ODM.
At least 282 MPs voted in favour of Mr Gachagua's impeachment in a motion moved by Kibwezi West MP Mwengi Mutuse, seeking to remove the country's second in command from office. The motion is now before the Senate, while Mr Gachagua and his allies are stepping up efforts to block it in court.
Politics is sometimes said to be the art of the impossible, with no permanent friends and no enemies, but many analysts who spoke to Nation.Africa say that regardless of the outcome of the motion, the relationship between President Ruto and Mr Gachagua may be irreparable because of the mistrust between their camps.
In short, things will never be the same for the duo who crafted the effective hustler narrative that propelled them to an unlikely election victory.
Political analyst Javas Bigambo argues that the way President Ruto's lieutenants have handled the impeachment motion so far, the relationship between the DP and his boss appears to be "irreparably broken".
“By way of his (DP’s) condescending remarks, brazenly chastising the president and political bravado, Gachagua crossed the rubicon, and the relationship with Ruto got irreparably broken,” Mr Bigambo told Nation.Africa.
He went on: “There’s no longer trust and respect between them. Gachagua mistook his growing influence in Mt Kenya for political indispensable capital, and evidently, his judgement was wrong. He can only test his political influence by resigning and facing off with Ruto in a contest, or endure the indignity of impeachment and lose his future in politics altogether.”
Tharaka MP George Murugara said that by impeaching Mr Gachagua, the House would only be respecting the will of the people who called for his ouster through the public participation the House conducted on Friday and Saturday.
According to Mr Murugara, it would be untenable for the Deputy President to continue in office if he survives 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 was sponsored by the president. We have not had a PG (parliamentary group) meeting to come up with a common position," said Mr Murugara.
DP allies have already promised a fierce backlash against President William Ruto if he is ousted.
Nyeri Governor Mutahi Kahiga described the move to impeach Mr Gachagua as an affront to the people of Mt Kenya region.
"We are still telling the President that he has an opportunity to regain his support in the mountain and salvage the situation, but nobody should lie to him that he is still popular as he used to be," he said.
Read: Gachagua impeachment: Karua criticises 'lynch mob' in Parliament, calls for fair trial in Senate
Mr Kahiga added: "But we want to say that the allegations against the DP are very frivolous and such a motion is an attack on the people of Mt Kenya region with serious consequences.
Machakos Deputy Governor Francis Mwangangi told Nation.Africa the relationship between President Ruto and his deputy appears to have broken irreparably.
“The two leaders’ relationship can never be the same when you know too well your partner is the one behind the push for your removal from office,” Mr Mwangangi said.
Mr Mwangangi, however, noted that in order to maintain one united country, there is a need for leaders to address pertinent issues without going to the extreme.
“The president has the overall mandate to run the country. We haven’t heard him speak about this motion and we only hear from his allies. I think it is time for the Head of State himself to pronounce himself on this matter so that Kenyans can know from the horse’s mouth how he has been undermined by his deputy,” the deputy governor said.
Mr Gachagua had pointed out that it was unfair for more than 200 MPs to hound him out of office when he and President Ruto were elected by more than 7.2 million voters and insisted on public participation so that all Kenyans could decide his fate, not just a few leaders.
The Deputy President and his allies have subsequently questioned how the recent two-day public engagement on the impeachment was conducted.
The Constitution allows for the impeachment of the Deputy President under Article 150.
The impeachment motion must be supported by one-third, or 117 members, and then by 233 members of the National Assembly for it to pass.
Mr Gachagua, whose relationship with his boss has soured, has now embarked on various court battles to save himself from impeachment, while the president maintains a studious silence.
But for Dismas Mokua, President Ruto and Mr Gachagua's political paths could still cross regardless of the outcome of the impeachment motion because politics is about interests.
"Politics is about interests. Politicians are known to make decisions that citizens may find irrational and unreasonable.
"There is a likelihood that irrespective of the outcome of the impeachment motion, President Ruto and DP Gachagua will move in the same direction if their political interests converge," Mr Mokua told Nation.Africa.
Politicians, he noted, are known to align and realign at every turn when their interests are threatened.
"No permanent enemies, but permanent interests. Mr Raila Odinga worked with President Moi despite the fact that Mr Odinga suffered at the hands of the Moi administration. Mr Odinga shook hands with President Kenyatta after a bitter falling out. Mr Odinga has a working relationship with President Ruto after high octane presidential campaigns," he added.
The analyst argues that no one should be surprised if President Ruto and DP Gachagua are part of a political team as the country approaches 2027.
"Politicians don't suffer from irreparable relationships. They are always pragmatic and driven by selfish political interests and therefore immunised from the vagaries of irreparable political relationships," says Mr Mokua.
Read: Ruto call and abortive bid to save Gachagua
But DAP-Kenya deputy leader Ayub Savula told Nation.Africa that from the looks of things, "the die is cast and Gachagua is on his way home", with no chance of reconciliation with his boss.
"The majority of MPs have decided to send Gachagua home and I don't know what the president will do to convince them otherwise and I don't see Riggy G (Mr Gachagua) changing even if he is spared," he said.
Mr Savula added that to make matters worse, Mr Gachagua's relationship with senior politicians - including from the Mt Kenya region - and civil servants was so damaged that it would be difficult to work together if the Deputy President returned to the UDA political fold.
