Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua has revealed that President William Ruto’s name has been mentioned in meetings where plans for his impeachment are being discussed.
In an interview on Citizen TV, Gachagua was asked whether the President was aware of these meetings.
Gachagua’s response
He responded by saying that those attending the meetings often claim that the President has authorized them.
However, Gachagua was quick to clarify that, since the President has not attended any of these meetings, he cannot definitively say that the President is aware of them.
“Those who attend the meetings quote him. He is not there, so I have no confirmation. It is reported to me that they invoke his name and say he is the one who has authorized the meetings. But since he is not in the meetings, I cannot accuse him,” Gachagua explained.
He further revealed that in the United Democratic Alliance (UDA) and the Kenya Kwanza coalition, an impeachment motion of such magnitude would not reach Parliament without the President’s approval. Gachagua emphasized that such matters are typically discussed in parliamentary group (PG) meetings to align members.
“But the truth of the matter is, the way we work in Kenya Kwanza, any motion of impeachment to remove the Deputy President of Kenya will never find its way to the house unless the President approves. For any contentious issue that goes to Parliament, the President calls the PG and says, ‘This is our agenda, can you go and support it,'” he added.
He also mentioned that if the impeachment motion were to reach Parliament, it would require the President’s backing.
“If the motion ever finds its way to the house, it will have to get the approval of President William Ruto, so it would be his motion. Since we have not reached that point, I don’t want to speculate further. It’s a heavy matter,” he said.
Gachagua on Ruto’s assurance
When asked if he had discussed the issue with President Ruto, Gachagua stated that when the topic initially surfaced, he spoke with the President, who assured him that there was no truth to the claims. Gachagua added that he intends to raise the matter with the President again.
“I spoke to him, and he said he had not heard about it, and he said it’s foolish and that no one would try such a thing as it could destabilize the country. Afterward, he called a meeting with members of Parliament, and the matter was stepped down. Now that it has come up again, I will raise the matter when he returns. I will ask, ‘A meeting was held, this was said—Mr. President, are you part of it? Do you want us to destabilize the country?’ Even if it goes that far, no one can get 233 members except him to push it through,” Gachagua concluded.
