Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua has filed a petition at the High Court to stop his impeachment.
In the petition filed on Thursday, October 3, at the Milimani Law Courts, Gachagua claimed that the motion was founded on falsehoods and misrepresentations, which he said have been peddled to the public so as to achieve an unconstitutional purpose.
"I verily believe that the motion to impeach me is entirely founded on falsehoods, outright lies, deceit, misrepresentations and suppression of material facts which have been peddled to the public so as to achieve the collateral, improper and unconstitutional purpose of a choreographed political lynching designed to defeat the sovereign will of the Kenyan people expressed at the presidential election held in August 2022 and prematurely end, for all time, my long and productive career as a public servant," reads part of the petition.
The deputy president claimed that the charges accusing him of accumulating wealth estimated at Sh5.2 billion in two years were intended to damage his reputation.
"For instance, the motion, at Ground 7 at page 17, falsely and sensationally alleges that I have “ inexplicably amassed a humongous property portfolio estimated at Kshs 5.2 billion” so as to unlawfully prejudice my reputation and standing with the public and my family," Gachagua stated.
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He asserted that the impeachment motion against him aimed to overturn the sovereign will of the Kenyan people who elected him as deputy president, based on grounds that do not meet the legal threshold for impeachment.
The DP further claimed that some Members of Parliament expressed their support of the motion to impeach him before it was tabled in Parliament, something he said casts doubt about the fairness of the process.
Gachagua also expressed doubts about whether the National Assembly Speaker and his deputy could impartially oversee the impeachment process, accusing them of making public statements against him.
On Tuesday, October 2, the National Assembly invited Kenyans to submit their views on the impeachment motion by sending their views via email to [email protected] before October 5.
Similarly, the views can be forwarded to the Clerk of the National Assembly via P.O. Box 41842-00100 Nairobi or hand delivered to his office at Main Parliament buildings in Nairobi.
Parliament disclosed that public hearings on the motion will be held on Friday, October 4, across all the counties in the country, where the views will be collated.
While approving the motion on Tuesday, October 1, National Assembly Speaker Moses Wetang'ula stated that Gachagua will be given two hours to defend himself against the charges in the impeachment motion on October 8, 2024.
