Kenya’s Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua on Monday denied corruption allegations against him on the eve of an impeachment vote that has highlighted a rancorous rift in the governing party.
The accusations are “outrageous” and “sheer propaganda”, Gachagua said at a press conference, calling them an attempt “to hound me out of office out of other political considerations”.
No formal charges have been lodged by prosecutors and no judicial inquiry has been opened.
But Gachagua has failed in numerous court bids to stop the impeachment process in parliament over the past week.
The 59-year-old deputy to President William Ruto is accused of corruption, undermining the government and practising ethnically divisive politics, among a host of other charges.
Kenyan lawmakers initiated the impeachment process on October 1, with 291 members of parliament backing the motion, well beyond the 117 minimum required.
Gachagua is a businessman from Kenya’s biggest tribe, the Kikuyu. He weathered previous corruption scandals to become deputy leader as Ruto’s running mate in a closely fought election in August 2022.
But in recent weeks, he has complained of being sidelined by his boss and accused of supporting youth-led protests that broke out in June.
Political tensions have been running high since the sometimes deadly demonstrations erupted over unpopular tax hikes, exposing divisions between Gachagua and Ruto.
Several MPs allied with Gachagua were summoned by police last month, accused of funding the protests.
The feud echoes the public falling out that Ruto had when he was deputy president to then-leader Uhuru Kenyatta before the 2022 election.
– Assets –
The motion against Gachagua lists 11 grounds for impeachment, including accusations that he amassed assets worth 5.2 billion shillings ($40 million) in two years, even as he had an annual salary of $93,000.
Among the listed assets was Kenya’s renowned Treetops Hotel, where Britain’s then-Princess Elizabeth was staying when she became queen.
At the press conference on Monday, Gachagua gave an exhaustive account of how he amassed wealth through legitimate business deals and an inheritance from his late brother.
“The properties my brother worked tirelessly for, meant to benefit his family, are now being labelled as proceeds of corruption. How unfair and cruel can you be to a dead man?” he said.
He has warned his removal would stir discontent among his supporters.
The impeachment motion requires the support of at least two-thirds of members of the National Assembly, the lower house of parliament, to pass.
A debate and vote are due to be held in the assembly on Tuesday, before the motion goes to the Senate.
If the motion passes, Gachagua would become the first deputy president to be impeached since the possibility was introduced in the revised 2010 constitution.
In 1989, then vice president Josephat Karanja resigned from office when faced with a similar push for dismissal in parliament.
AFP
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Last modified: October 7, 2024
