Senior Counsel Paul Muite has revealed that Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua has fallen ill and cannot testify in the Senate.
While addressing the Senate, Muite noted that his client fell unwell on Thursday, October 17 afternoon.
The lawyer indicated that the DP was not feeling good hence the delays that were witnessed in the afternoon session.
According to Muite, the DP had already been hospitalised. However, the specific hospital and details of the illness were not revealed.
Read More
The afternoon session was delayed for close to 30 minutes after the DP failed to show up.
"The sad reality is that the Deputy President of the Republic of Kenya has been taken sick. Very sick. As I address this honourable House, he is in hospital. That is the sad reality," Muite explained.
Consequently, the lawyer asked Speaker Amason Kingi to grant him up to 5 PM to find out more about the illness and give a detailed account of the DP's absence.
In his ruling, Kingi suspended the session until 5 PM and directed that the second in command should take the witness stand then.
According to the Speaker, the hearings have to resume in the evening given that the impeachment is a time-bound process.
''Having considered the two sides we will suspend this sitting and resume at exactly 5. The witness will take the witness stand at 5,'' Kingi ruled.
As detailed in the programme, the DP was to testify and be cross-examined by the lawyers of the National Assembly.
Later on, both teams were scheduled to give their closing remarks before the Senators vote on the impeachment in the evening.
