Lawyer Muthomi Thiankolu who is the legal representative of the National Assembly in the impeachment motion against Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua has explained how Gachagua violated his oath of office.
Speaking during the impeachment proceedings at the Senate on Thursday, October 17, 2024, Thiankolu said that the embattled DP violated the oath of his office by disclosing matters related to national security.
Additionally, Thiankolu stated that the constitution prohibits the deputy president from discussing matters that are committed to his secrecy.
“The oath of due execution of the office of the Deputy President which is in the constitution prohibits the Deputy President from disclosing matters, especially those relating to national security that are committed to his secrecy,” Thiankolu said.
He went on to say that there is a security council that the deputy president or even ordinary citizens can write to if they have genuine grievances about the operations or personnel of the national security.
“It’s as a violation of his oath of office and the Constitution to discuss matters of that nature at the time in the circumstances prevailing in a press conference broadcast, there is a constitutional forum to raise those issues and indeed deputy president or even ordinary citizen can write to that security council if they have genuine grievances about it’s operations or personals or it’s capability and performance,” he added.
Gachagua on national security
On June 26, 2024, Gachagua has called for the resignation of National Intelligence Service (NIS) Director General Noordin Haji.
The DP faulted the NIS boss for overseeing what he described as a decline in the agency’s effectiveness under his stewardship National Intelligence Service.
“We have a dysfunctional National Intelligence Service that has exposed the President, the government and the people of Kenya,” he claimed.
“Had the National Intelligence Service briefed the President two months ago about how the people feel about the Finance Bill, 2024, so many Kenyans would not have died, property would not have been destroyed, offices would not have been destroyed. There would have been no mayhem, but they slept on the job.”
Gachagua said it had to take nationwide protests for the president to know the truth about how people felt about the proposed new taxes in the Bill “yet there is an organisation paid for by the public to brief the President and the government about the feeling of the Kenyan people”.