Kenyan Vice-President Rigathi Gachagua was dismissed Thursday following an unprecedented procedure, the culmination of several months of conflict between President William Ruto and his deputy.
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The Senate voted Righathi Gachagua guilty of five of the eleven charges contained in the impeachment motion. It was enough for the upper house to find him guilty of one count for him to be removed from office.
Rigathi Gachagua, 59, notably accused of corruption and abuse of power, becomes the first vice-president removed from power as part of such a procedure, provided for by the 2010 Constitution. This historic process raises uncertainties in the Kenyaconsidered a stable democracy in an unstable region.
Rigathi Gachagua called the accusations “ pure propaganda » and “ conspiracy to [le] oust from power due to other political considerations “. Rigathi Gachagua was notably accused of embezzlement, influence peddling and fraudulent acquisitions of hotels and apartments.
The vice president was present at the opening of the hearings Thursday morning, but did not return after the lunch break. A few hours before the vote in the upper house and while he had to defend himself against the senators, one of his lawyers announced that he had fallen ill and had been hospitalized. “ He arrived with severe chest pain. Dan Gikonyo, chief cardiologist at Karen Hospital on the outskirts of Nairobi, told reporters, adding that Rigathi Gachagua’s condition was stable but he would remain under observation for 48 to 72 hours.
The upper house suspended the hearings in the afternoon, but rejected a request from Rigathi Gachagua’s defense to postpone the vote until Tuesday, October 22, 2024 to give him the chance to defend himself. His lawyers left the premises in protest.
Referrals rejected
The vice president tried to block the debates and the vote in the Senate in court, but several referrals were rejected. He nevertheless promised to fight “ until the end » and to challenge dismissal in court if it was voted on.
William Ruto had chosen Rigathi Gachagua as his running mate for the 2022 presidential election, despite his already sulphurous reputation, marked by several accusations of corruption. With a solid network of influence, particularly in the strategic region of Mount Kenya, this former businessman played a crucial role in William Ruto’s victory against his rival Raila Odinga (50.49% against 48. 85%).
But relations between the two men at the head of state have deteriorated, particularly since an anti-government protest movement which shook the country in June and July. The vice-president’s detractors accuse him of not having supported the head of state in the face of demonstrations demanding his resignation. The repression of this protest left at least 60 dead. The movement has lost steam, but resentment is still present, and the current crisis at the top of the state is, for many Kenyans, a new sign of disconnection from the political class.