Kenyan lawmakers have overwhelmingly voted to impeach Vice President Rigathi Gachagua amid serious allegations of corruption and claims of ethnically divisive politics.
The motion, which received support from 281 MPs, passed with 44 votes against and one abstention, marking Gachagua as the first deputy president in Kenya to be impeached by the National Assembly.
The Senate will now determine whether he will be formally removed from office.
Gachagua, a wealthy businessman, is accused of acquiring properties through corrupt means, a claim he disputes, asserting that many of the assets belong to his late brother’s estate.
He has characterized the allegations as “outrageous” and “sheer propaganda.”
This political turmoil follows fallout between Gachagua and President William Ruto, with Gachagua’s supporters expressing concern that the impeachment process distracts from pressing issues faced by the Kenyan public, particularly rising living costs.
Kenya has experienced tensions since June, when protests erupted over unpopular tax hikes, resulting in over 50 deaths and revealing a rift between Ruto and Gachagua.
In the wake of the protests, Ruto reshuffled his cabinet, incorporating members of the opposition, while some of Gachagua’s allies faced police scrutiny over alleged funding of the demonstrations.
Ahead of the impeachment vote, security was heightened in Nairobi, with police blocking major roads and increasing patrols around Parliament.
Gachagua hired approximately 20 lawyers to defend him against the impeachment motion, which was initiated after 291 MPs signed on, exceeding the constitutional requirement of 117.
The impeachment motion cites 11 charges against Gachagua, including allegations of amassing unexplained wealth of 5.2 billion Kenyan shillings (approximately $40 million) in just two years.
Gachagua has firmly stated, “I am innocent of all these charges,” and vowed to fight the motion, refusing to resign.
According to a survey from Kenya, a public consultations conducted prior to the vote indicated that 65% of responses supported the impeachment. Gachagua has appealed to both Ruto and fellow MPs for forgiveness, clarifying that his request was not an admission of guilt.
While Ruto has yet to comment on the impeachment motion, he has previously stated he would avoid publicly humiliating his vice president.
Gachagua, hailing from the influential Kikuyu community, has faced corruption allegations in the past but successfully became Ruto’s running mate in the tightly contested August 2022 elections.
This political drama echoes a historical precedent: in 1989, then Vice-President Josephat Karanja resigned in the face of a similar impeachment motion.
