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Rigathi
Gachagua is reported to have hired about 20 lawyers to defend him against the
impeachment motion
The MPs accuse Gachagua
of corruption, ethnic politics, and undermining the administration, among other
things.
The 59-year-old lawmaker,
also known as "Riggy G," has called the charges against him
"outrageous" and "pure propaganda," claiming they are part
of a scheme to force him out of government.
He is expected to appear
before parliament to defend himself before the vote, after which impeachment
proceedings will move to the Senate.
Political tensions have
been high in the East African country since June, when fatal protests broke out
over unpopular tax increases, exposing a fundamental schism between Ruto and
Gachagua.
Following the anti-tax
protests, which killed more than 50 people, Ruto fired the majority of his
government and appointed members of the main opposition.
Several MPs aligned with
Gachagua were called by police last month, accused of sponsoring the rallies,
but no charges were filed.
Security has been stepped
up in Nairobi ahead of the vote, with police patrols and major highways leading
to parliament closed to the public.
According to local media
sources, Gachagua has engaged over 20 lawyers to defend him against the
impeachment move.
Last Monday, a total of
291 MPs signed the motion to begin the impeachment process, exceeding the
constitutional need of 117.
Gachagua has failed in multiple judicial attempts to stop the proceedings from
continuing.
In a televised statement on Monday, Gachagua accused Mwengi Mutuse, the MP who
authored the resolution, of lying, calling it "shameful and
sensational".
The motion includes 11 grounds for impeachment, including allegations that
Gachagua obtained assets worth 5.2 billion Kenyan shillings ($40 million, £31
million) in two years through unexplained wealth.
"I am innocent of
all these charges," Gachagua said.
"I have no intention
whatsoever to resign from this job. I will fight to the end."
The deputy president said
some of the properties listed in the motion belonged to his late brother.
He also defended the
controversial renovation for his official residence in the capital.
The constitution requires
MPs to engage with the people before making major decisions.
According to a
parliamentary report, almost 200,000 answers were received as part of the
process, with 65% supporting Gachagua's impeachment and approximately 34%
opposing it.
On Sunday, Gachagua asked
Ruto and the MPs to pardon him for any misbehavior during his tenure. He then
stressed that his apologies did not constitute an admission of guilt.
Ruto has yet to publicly
comment on the impeachment move, but he has previously stated that he would
never publicly disgrace his deputy.
For the motion to pass,
it requires the support of at least two-thirds of members of the National
Assembly, the lower house of parliament.
It is expected to pass,
considering that the main opposition has suddenly joined forces with the
president's party.
Gachagua, a wealthy
businessman from the vote-rich Mount Kenya region, overcame earlier corruption
allegations to become Ruto's running mate in a tightly contested August 2022
election.
He is a member of the
Kikuyu community, the country's largest ethnic group, whereas President Ruto is
a Kalenjin, an ethnic group primarily found in the Rift Valley.
These two villages
clashed following the 2007 elections, which resulted in ethnic violence that
killed 1,200 people across the country.
If the Senate approves
the move, Gachagua will become the first deputy president to be impeached under
the 2010 constitution.
In 1989, then
Vice-President Josephat Karanja resigned from office when he faced a similar
motion.
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