Kenya’s Senate Speaker, Amason Kingi, said on Wednesday that the Senate would next week debate whether to dismiss Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua after the national assembly voted to impeach him.

Lawmakers voted by 281 to 44 late on Tuesday to impeach Mr Gachagua, with one abstention. That was far more than the two-thirds majority needed to carry the motion to the Senate.

Mr Kingi said the Senate would investigate the allegations on October 16 and 17, and if at least two-thirds of the Senate vote to uphold the impeachment, Mr Gachagua would be dismissed.

Mr Gachagua has denied all 11 charges against him, which include enriching himself and stirring ethnic hatred. He called the impeachment process a “theatre of the absurd.”

His rift with President William Ruto, whom he backed in a 2022 election, spilt into the open after deadly protests this year against proposed tax increases and the cost of living.

Mr Ruto has not commented publicly on the impeachment proceedings.

Mr Gachagua outraged many in Mr Ruto’s coalition for likening the government to a company and suggesting that those who voted for the coalition had first claim on public-sector jobs and development projects.

The push to impeach Mr Gachagua has divided Kenyans, with some saying that parliament should focus on the economy instead of politics and others calling for both Mr Ruto and his deputy to quit.

“They should both be removed. After two years, there has been no positive effect. We have had more crises. They came as a package, so they should leave as a package,’’ said Melissa Kagondu, who sells beauty products.

A Nairobi-based analyst, Robert Shaw, told Reuters that the impeachment would add to concerns about Kenya’s economic stability after protests in June and July.

He said, “It is bound to get worse, if I was an investor, I would be looking at how to consolidate my position ready for a storm.’’ 

(Reuters/NAN)