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NAIROBI — Kenyan senators have voted to remove Deputy President, Rigathi Gachagua, from office, despite his absence at his impeachment trial, which was attributed to a medical emergency.
His lawyer informed the Senate that Gachagua had been taken to hospital for chest pains.
In a dramatic turn of events in Kenya’s political landscape, Gachagua was scheduled to appear in the Senate after lunch to defend himself against 11 charges, having pleaded not guilty the previous day.
However, he did not attend, leading his lawyer to request a postponement due to his hospitalization at The Karen Hospital.
The BBC reported that senators opted to continue the trial in Gachagua’s absence, prompting his defense team to leave the chamber in protest.
Their decision to proceed without delay—despite the option to postpone until Saturday—reflects a determined effort to remove Gachagua from office, particularly after his recent fallout with President William Ruto.
Just a week prior, an overwhelming majority of MPs in the National Assembly voted to impeach Gachagua, paving the way for his two-day trial in the Senate.
The deputy president, a wealthy businessman from the politically significant Mount Kenya region, had described the impeachment as a “political lynching.”
On Thursday evening, the Senate upheld five charges against Gachagua, including inciting ethnic divisions and violating his oath of office, with the required two-thirds of the 67 senators voting in favor of his removal.
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