Gachagua Impeachment Advances Amid Nyeri Protests; Court Orders Constituency Hearings

Oct 4, 2024, 07:46 AM

Kenyan MPs are advancing impeachment proceedings against Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua, working to seal legal loopholes that could be exploited to challenge the process. The National Assembly is organizing public participation sessions across all 47 counties on Friday to gather citizens' input on the impeachment motion, with DP Gachagua to be given two hours to defend himself. The High Court has declined to issue orders stopping these public participation exercises but directed that they be organized at constituency level, ordering the National Assembly to facilitate hearings. Protests erupted in Nyeri County, Gachagua's home region, where residents opposed the impeachment motion, chanting slogans such as 'No Gachagua, No government' and 'No Rigathi, No Ruto,' and alleging they were offered Ksh.500 to sign forms supporting the ouster. Similar reactions occurred in other regions, with residents in Kakamega County chanting 'Ruto Must Go' and forcing clerks to leave with the forms. Kirinyaga Women Representative Jane Njeri, an MP opposing Gachagua's impeachment, was summoned by police. Despite the chaos and confusion, the public participation exercises proceeded in locations like Nairobi's Bomas of Kenya, Eldoret in Uasin Gishu County, and Kiambu town, albeit amid tensions and protests.