Political activist Morara Kebaso is stirring the political pot urging lawmakers to stand up against President William Ruto just a day after Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua found himself on the wrong end of a National Assembly impeachment vote.
Kebaso is now looking for a brave enough Member of Parliament to file a motion against the president himself.
In a statement posted on his X account on Wednesday, October 9, 2024, Kebaso, who is taking a holiday, hinted at a bigger political move.
“We need just one brave MP to file an impeachment against President William Ruto. Just one,” he wrote.
Adding;
“Don’t worry about the votes, leave the MPs to us, we will deal with them. Mmoja tu awekelee hiyo kitu. Kazi ingine atuachie” (We just need one MP to file it, leave the rest to us).
While am on holiday am looking for someone. We need just one brave MP to file an impeachment against president William Ruto. Just one. Don’t worry about the votes, leave the MPs to us we will deal with them. Mmoja tu awekelee hiyo kitu. Kazi ingine atuachie.
— Morara Kebaso Snr (@MoraraKebasoSnr) October 9, 2024
Gachagua’s impeachment
This comes on the heels of the National Assembly’s approval of a motion to impeach Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua.
The vote, which took place on Tuesday, October 8, saw an overwhelming majority of 281 MPs out of 326 votes to impeach Gachagua. With just 44 MPs standing by him, and one MP sitting on the fence, Gachagua is now headed for a showdown in the Senate.
Gachagua faced 11 charges, including alleged misconduct and abuse of office, but with the numbers stacked against him in Parliament, it looks like his political fate is hanging by a thread.
“The result of the division of the motion is as follows: Abstentions-one, the NOs-44, the Ayes-281. So the ayes have it,” Speaker of the National Assembly Moses Wetang’ula declared.
After appearing before the National Assembly with his legal team, Gachagua defended himself against the charges put forward as grounds for his impeachment. He refuted the allegations by presenting video clips from various media outlets to counter the claims made by the MPs who initiated the motion.
Gachagua urged the legislators to use their judgment and reject the call for his removal, arguing that the accusations brought by Kibwezi West MP Eckomas Mutuse were baseless.
Senate to seal fate
With 281 MPs backing the impeachment motion against Deputy President Gachagua, the National Assembly speaker is expected to notify Senate Speaker Amason Kingi within two days. The Senate will then have 10 days to investigate the 11 charges, either through an 11-member committee or a full Senate session.
Gachagua will survive if fewer than 45 senators vote for his removal. However, if 45 or more of the 67 senators support the motion, his seat will be declared vacant.
Gachagua’s fate now lies with the Senate and the judiciary, should the impeachment proceed. Backed by a legal team of 20 led by senior counsel Paul Muite, Gachagua plans to challenge the outcome to the Supreme Court.