Kenyan senators voted to remove Vice President Rigati Gachagua from office despite him not testifying in his impeachment trial after his lawyer said he had been taken to hospital.
In one of the most dramatic days in Kenya’s recent political history, Gachagua was due to appear before the Senate after lunch to defend himself. In one day, he pleaded not guilty to 11 charges.
But Gachagua, popularly known as Riggy G, did not show up and his lawyer requested a delay, saying his client was suffering from chest pains and was receiving treatment at Karen Hospital.
Senators decided to continue the trial without him, and the defense team left the courtroom.
Senators’ refusal to delay proceedings until Saturday as long as legally permitted shows how determined they are to get rid of Gachagua months after he fell out with President William Ruto.
Last week, an overwhelming majority of lawmakers in the House of Representatives voted to impeach him, setting the stage for a two-day Senate trial.
Gachagua, a wealthy businessman from central Kenya’s Mount Kenya region who attended the house in the morning, described the impeachment as a “political lynching.”
On Thursday evening, two-thirds of the 67 senators supported five charges, including inciting racial division and violating his oath of office, enough to remove him from office.
He was acquitted on six charges, including corruption and money laundering.
This comes just two years after Ruto and Gachagua were jointly elected candidates.
The vote strengthens Ruto’s grip on power after months of infighting at the highest levels of government.
The conflict came to a head in June when Gachagua accused the head of the intelligence agency of underreporting the scale of mass protests against unpopular tax hikes against Ruto and his government in a move to denigrate the president.
Ruto was forced to withdraw taxes in a major blow to his authority. He sacked his cabinet and brought opposition members into government.
Ruto did not comment on the impeachment of his deputy.
At the start of the trial, Elisha Ongoya, one of Gachagua’s lawyers, said: All claims were “false, absurd or embarrassing.”.
Before the vote, Gachagua said he would appeal the decision if it passes.
According to Reuters, a doctor said the 59-year-old had been taken to hospital with a heart condition but was stable and undergoing tests.
Kenyan media are already reporting on his possible replacement and four people have been mentioned.
- Murang’a County Governor Irungu Kang’ata
- Kirinyaga County Governor Ann Waiguru
- Home Minister Kithure Kindiki
- Foreign Minister Musalia Mudavadi.
Additional reporting by BBC’s Jewel Kiriungi from Nairobi.
