Rigathi Gachagua impeached after 281 MPs back motion in Parliament

The National Assembly has approved the impeachment of Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua following a vote on the floor of the House.

A total of 281 members voted in favour of the motion, 44 voted against it, and one member abstained.

As per the procedure, the Speaker of the Senate will be notified within two days to take the next steps.

For the motion to pass, it required the support of at least two-thirds of the National Assembly members, 233 in total, which was successfully met.

Earlier, the House Business Committee had agreed on a roll-call vote to ensure transparency in the process.

The motion, tabled by Kibwezi West MP Mwengi Mutuse, accused Deputy President Gachagua of gross misconduct and constitutional violations.

On Monday evening, DP Gachagua dismissed the accusations as “outrageous” and vowed to clear his name.

“I am innocent on all these charges. My apology to President Ruto yesterday is not an admission of these baseless allegations meant to overturn the will of the people,” he stated, adding that none of the accusations met the threshold for impeachment.

The motion, signed by 291 MPs, listed 11 grounds for Gachagua’s removal, including alleged violations of the Anti-Corruption and Economic Crimes Act, the Proceeds of Crime and Anti-Money Laundering Act, the Leadership and Integrity Act, and the National Cohesion and Integration Act.

More to follow