President William Ruto was not behind the impeachment of then-Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua, this is according to Kibwezi West MP Mwengi Mutuse.
Mutuse says that the idea of drafting an impeachment motion against Gachagua was long overdue, as he had thinking about it for a while.
“[Gachagua impeachment] is something I was thinking about. One day on a Sunday, we were discussing and the people told me they think the country is headed in the wrong direction. They gave me an analogy of a school, that a school will not perform well, if the principal and his/her deputy are pulling in different directions. They told me something needs to be done because the country is getting polarised along ethnic lines,” Mutuse said in an interview with Citizen TV.
It was at this point, Mutuse says, that he decided to approach the National Assembly Majority and Minority leaders — Kimani Ichung’wah and Junet Mohamed respectively –with the idea of an impeachment.
“They were intrigued but cautious. They asked me to draft something they can look at, and they got interested and worked with me in terms of mobilising support from MPs from different divides,” says Mutuse, who etched his name in Kenya’s political history as the first MP to successfully impeach a sitting deputy president.
According to the first-time MP, his friends who are “very senior” lawyers in the country, helped him with drafting of the impeachment motion, a document that impressed both Ichung’wah and Junet, enough for them to rally their support.
But contrary to many Kenyans’ belief, Mutuse claims that President Ruto had nothing to do with the impeachment motion.
“I did not speak about [Rigathi Gachagua impeachment motion] to President William Ruto. I only approached National Assembly Majority and Minority leaders Kimani Ichung’wah and Junet Mohamed, and I presume they told him. In fact, President Ruto was a bit careful. He wasn’t sure if impeachment was the right move, but he did not talk to me about it.”
At the height of Gachagua impeachment debate, Mutuse’s security was increased. “There has never been any other mover of a DP’s impeachment motion, so… my security was increased, and we were well taken care of.”
As it is public knowledge, Gachagua did not go down without putting up a fight.
“Gachagua did not call me, but I was called by two persons who were my friends for a very long time, and they told me they were sent by Gachagua. They tried to convince me to withdraw the motion, but I had already made up my mind.”
