Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua has become the first sitting deputy president to be impeached by the Senate.
In the trial, 53 senators voted in favour of his impeachment in the first charge, meeting the threshold required for one count, which is sufficient to remove the deputy president from office.
From the 11 counts levelled against Gachagua, the senators upheld five, counts 1, 4, 5, 6 and 9.
The motion of impeachment was tabled by Kibwezi West MP Mwengi Mutuse in the National Assembly last week.
A total of 281 MPs voted in favour of the ouster motion against 44 who voted to save his young political career from sudden death.
Gachagua is accused of making public utterances that are deemed inciteful, reckless, and inflammatory, with the potential to incite ethnic hatred and divide communities.
Furthermore, the Deputy President is alleged to have violated Articles 147, 148, 174, 186, and 189 of the Constitution, which pertain to his conduct and duties as the principal assistant to the President.
Among the accusations is the alleged unlawful and corrupt acquisition of assets worth more than Sh5.7 billion—an amount inconsistent with his monthly salary of approximately Sh1 million.
| Charge | Yes Votes | No Votes |
|---|---|---|
| Charge 1: Undermining national unity | 53 | 13 |
| Charge 2: Undermining the President and Cabinet | 28 | 39 |
| Charge 3: Undermining devolution | 19 | 46 |
| Charge 4: Undermining independence of judges | 51 | 16 |
| Charge 5: Breaching oath of office and allegiance | 49 | 16 |
| Charge 6: Inflammatory & inciteful public utterances | 47 | 18 |
| Charge 7: Gross economic crimes | 14 | 52 |
| Charge 8: Misleading the public | 27 | 40 |
| Charge 9: Conduct incompatible with status of office | 46 | 20 |
| Charge 10: Insubordination towards the President | 23 | 44 |
| Charge 11: Bullying state and public officers | 17 | 41 |