In a last-minute effort to regain his office, Kenyan media reports indicate that Rigathi Gachagua has moved to court to stop President William Ruto from nominating a person to fill the vacancy of the office of Deputy President. Gachagua, 59, was on Thursday, October 17, impeached despite being admitted to a hospital in the capital, Nairobi. As reported, early Friday, October 18, after the Senate upheld Gachagua's impeachment, President William Ruto nominated Interior Cabinet Secretary Kithure Kindiki as the next Deputy President following the impeachment of Gachagua. Kindiki's name was submitted to the National Assembly where MPs are expected to vote on it. Speaker Moses Wetang'ula announced the appointment in a special Sitting convened on Friday. I have received a message from the president on the nomination of Professor Kithure Kindiki to fill the vacancy in the office of the Deputy President of the Republic of Kenya, Wetang'ula announced. Through his Senior Counsel Paul Muite, Gachagua reportedly maintains that the charges levelled against him before the national assembly and subsequently the Senate hold no water and that, among others, the Senate was required by law to act as an impartial arbitrator in considering whether the charges before it have been substantiated or not. ALSO READ: Gachagua falls ill, takes no stand at Senate but trial continues A day after he had pleaded not guilty to 11 charges, the required two-thirds of the 67 senators – 53 out of 66 – upheld five charges including inciting ethnic divisions and violating his oath of office. Though he was cleared of six charges including corruption and money-laundering, the unprecedented impeachment, it is reported, implies that Gachagua cannot hold public office again and he also loses any exit benefits. ALSO READ: Court dismisses deputy president Gachagua case paving way for hearing in Senate On the final day of his impeachment trial at Senate, Gachagua was expected to undergo cross-examination from lawyers representing the National Assembly but his lead counsel, Senior Counsel Paul Muite, told the Senate that Gachagua was taken ill. Later, Senators voted in favour of continuing the impeachment trial late Thursday without the DP standing to defend himself. Gachagua’s lawyers left the Senate chamber but the process continued. The impeachment hearing began on Wednesday at the Senate after the National Assembly approved the motion last week when an overwhelming majority of MPs in the lower house of parliament voted to impeach him, setting the stage for his trial in the Senate. Gachagua had denied all charges and said the impeachment motion, backed by opposition lawmakers and allies of President William Ruto, was based on falsehoods that constituted a political lynching.
