'You are going to be impeached' -deputy speaker tells DP Gachagua

National Assembly Deputy Speaker Gladys Boss has openly expressed her intention to take charge of the impeachment process against Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua when it reaches the National Assembly.

Speaking during an event in Uasin Gishu County on Monday September 23, 2024, the National Assembly deputy speaker emphasized that Gachagua will be removed from office soon.

“I will send you home myself. I am putting you on notice. You are going to be impeached, and I can confirm that to you,” stated Gladys Boss.

Her declaration emerged a day after Kimilili member of parliament Didmus Barasa alleged that the deputy president will be impeached before end of this year.

Deputy National Assembly Speaker Gladys Boss Shollei. Photo: Gladys boss Shollei/X

Simultaneously, Tana River Senator Danson Mungatana on Monday filed a censure motion against Gachagua at the Senate.

Mungatana accuses the DP of promoting divisive politics and violating his oath of office. In a statement, he claimed that Gachagua’s public speeches have “marginalized sections of Kenyans” and escalated tensions between ethnic communities.

“The public speeches made by Rigathi have marginalized sections of Kenyans, created, and continue to heighten tension among different ethnic communities in Kenya,” Mungatana said.

However, Environment Cabinet Secretary Aden Duale downplayed the significance of the censure motion, clarifying via his X account that a censure motion is simply an expression of dissatisfaction with no legal consequences.

According to Duale, the censure motion cannot be used to initiate an impeachment.

“A censure motion is basically a motion intended to state that ‘we are not happy with you’ or a ‘critic or expression of disapproval’ of one’s conduct. It has no consequences whatsoever. A we are not happy with your conduct’ censure motion or a substantive motion cannot serve the purpose of impeachment,” stated Duale

These developments come shortly after DP Gachagua’s interview with Citizen TV, where he speculated that there were orchestrated efforts to isolate him from presidential activities, possibly as a way to impeach him.

“There is mischief to remove me from the Presidential diary so that once I do not attend Presidential events, so it can be reported that I am running away from my duty. I hear that is one of the grounds for impeachment,” Gachagua claimed.

Gachagua attributed this to his straightforwardness, claiming that his critics accuse him of being too “people-centered” and too focused on listening to ordinary Kenyans.

The rift within the Kenya Kwanza government seems to be widening, with the Deputy President facing increasing isolation.

However, Gachagua remains defiant, stating that his commitment to speaking the truth is being used against him.

“They say that I’m high-headed, that I’m too people-centered, and that I listen to people too much. That I’m asking people to listen to what Kenyans are saying. I don’t think it is a crime,” he said during the interview.