Rigathi Gachagua, Kenya’s deputy president, was hospitalised and very sick, according to his attorney, thus he was unable to attend his impeachment hearing on Thursday.
In order to defend himself against the eleven counts against him, Gachagua was scheduled to appear before the Senate.
However, his attorney, Paul Muite, informed the Senate that Gachagua was too ill to attend.
The National Assembly voted last week to impeach Gachagua, who played a significant role in President William Ruto’s electoral victory two years earlier.
Senate Speaker Amason Kingi stopped the proceedings and granted Gachagua until 5:00 PM local time to appear.
Mr. Gachagua earlier condemned the impeachment as a politically motivated effort based on lies.
President Ruto, who has had disagreements with Gachagua in recent months, has not yet commented on the situation.
Political experts warn that if Gachagua is removed from office, it could lead to public outrage and calls for similar action against the president.
Many people in Kenya believe that the impeachment is politically motivated and is diverting attention from the real issues, like the deadly anti-tax protests that happened in June and July, which highlighted dissatisfaction with the government.
The charges against Gachagua include claims that he incited ethnic tensions and acquired properties worth over $40 million since taking office, even though his net worth before becoming deputy president was only about $6 million. Gachagua’s legal team argued that there is no solid proof to support these allegations.
If two-thirds of the Senate votes in favor of the impeachment, Gachagua could become the first Kenyan president or deputy president to be removed from office under the 2010 constitution.
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