Kenyan lawmakers’ move to impeach Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua swiftly progressed to the Senate on Wednesday, following his ousting by the National Assembly in a dramatic political event.
The lower house voted overwhelmingly to impeach Gachagua on Tuesday night, marking a historic development after his fallout with President William Ruto.
Headlines such as “End of the road?” from The Star and “The fall of a tribal chief” from The People Daily highlighted the national attention on the event.
The impeachment motion accused the 59-year-old of corruption, insubordination, undermining the government, and practising ethnically divisive politics—allegations he denied.
After a heated 12-hour debate, the motion was approved by 282 of the 349 National Assembly members, surpassing the two-thirds majority required.
On Wednesday, the Senate began the next stage, with Senate speaker Amason Jeffah Kingi preparing lawmakers for a “heavy day” of deliberations.
The Senate has ten days to complete the proceedings and decide on the motion, which requires a two-thirds majority to pass. If successful, Gachagua would be the first deputy president removed through impeachment since the procedure was established under Kenya’s 2010 constitution.