The High Court in Kenya on Tuesday began hearing an appeal by impeached Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua regarding his removal through a Senate vote last week.
As the proceedings commenced, President William Ruto objected, stating that the court did not have the authority to hear the case and that the Supreme Court should handle it.
On Friday, the High Court in Nairobi issued a ruling to temporarily halt the impeachment process, just moments after parliament approved Interior Minister Kithure Kindiki to replace Gachagua as Ruto’s deputy.
Gachagua, who was present at Tuesday’s hearing, was impeached by the Senate on Thursday on five out of 11 charges, including stirring ethnic divisions and undermining the judiciary. The 59-year-old has denied all the allegations, and his legal team promptly filed an appeal, claiming that the process was unfair and rushed.
“The petition and application raise monumental constitutional issues,” the High Court said in its ruling on Friday that blocked Kindiki from taking office.
The impeachment marks the first time in Kenya’s history of a deputy president being dismissed from office in this manner. This event is the result of a public rift between Gachagua and Ruto.
Some analysts have proposed that Gachagua’s removal could potentially assist Ruto in strengthening his control over power, which had been undermined by large-scale protests against the government earlier this year, posing the most significant challenge to his two-year presidency.
