Kenya’s Vice-President Rigati Gachagua has been threatened with impeachment proceedings by lawmakers amid suspicions that he had a major conflict with President William Ruto.
The president’s allies in Congress have accused Gachagua of undermining the government, promoting racially divisive politics, playing a role in sparking the deadly protests that rocked the country in June and engaging in corruption.
With Kenya in the grip of a severe economic and financial crisis, the power struggle has raised concerns about instability at the heart of the government.
Ruto defeated former Prime Minister Raila Odinga in a closely contested election and chose Gachagua as his running mate in the 2022 elections.
Gachagua is from the voting-rich Mount Kenya region and helped marshal support for Ruto.
But the political dynamics have changed, with members of Odinga’s party joining the government following youth-led protests that forced Ruto to roll back tax hikes, and the vice-president appears increasingly isolated.
Lawmakers said they were preparing to submit a motion to the National Assembly calling for his impeachment.
“We have already attached the signatures,” said Majority Leader Kimani Ichung’wah.
The vice-president’s team made several failed attempts in the high court to block the motion from being tabled.
Several lawmakers told local media the one-third threshold had been passed and nearly 250 people had already supported the motion to table the motion for debate.
“I was number 242 to sign and I was surprised that there was still a line,” said Assemblyman Didmus Barasa.
Another lawmaker, Rahim Dawood, added, “This is a fait accompli and it was requested by the Democratic Party (Vice President).”
However, Gachagua showed a defiant tone, saying that he was supported by voters in central Kenya, where he was born.
“Two hundred people cannot overturn the will of the people,” he said.
For this motion to pass, it requires the support of more than two-thirds of the House and Senate, excluding nominated members.
Supporters of the initiative are confident it will pass, especially since they can now rely on votes from Odinga’s party.
