Thursday, October 17, 2024 – Lawyer Ahmednasir Abdullahi has blasted Senate
Speaker Amason Kingi for the way he is conducting the impeachment of Deputy
President Rigathi Gachagua.
Ahmednasir took offense at
Kingi’s verdict to allow James Orengo to represent the National Assembly in Gachagua’s
impeachment proceedings.
Gachagua’s legal team had sought
to have Orengo, the governor of Siaya, debarred from arguing on behalf of the
National Assembly.
They cited a conflict of
interest given that Orengo is a state officer having been elected governor.
Making his commentary via the X
social network, Ahmednasir argued that the Speaker’s decision bordered on
disregarding the same constitution Gachagua is accused of flouting.
The lawyer argued that the
constitution clearly states that a state officer should not appear in trials to
represent parties.
“The ruling by the Speaker
of Senate, Hon Amason Jeffah Kingi, dismissing the objection by lawyers for
Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua objecting to Hon Gov James Orengo SC
representing the National Assembly is grossly offensive to the constitution and
utterly shameful.”
“How can Gachagua be tried for
breaching the Constitution while the Speaker of the Trial Chamber, the Senate,
borrows the wise words of Justice Antonin Scalia and plays
“jiggery-pokery” with a clear and unambiguous provision of the
Constitution? Some things are TRANSPARENTLY STUPID!” he said.
Gachagua’s lawyers argued that
allowing Orengo to participate in the trial would prejudice Gachagua’s defence
and violate clear legal provisions.
They noted that a precedent had
already been set in a recent Senate impeachment case involving former Kisii
County deputy governor Robert Monda, where a similar objection was upheld.
The Kenyan DAILY POST