Kenya's deputy president faces Senate vote on removal from office

In Kenya‚ the Senate is now on its second day of hearings about removing Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua from his job. The hearings started yesterday (10/17/2024) and will end with a vote tonight. Gachagua is accused of taking public money‚ making people hate each other because of their ethnic group‚ and working against the government. He says he didnt do these things

Last week‚ the National Assembly voted to remove Gachagua. He helped President William Ruto win the election about two years ago. But now‚ people close to the president say Gachagua isnt loyal and says things that cause trouble. Ruto hasnt said anything about trying to remove Gachagua. Gachagua thinks this is just a political attack based on lies

If two-thirds of the senators vote to remove Gachagua‚ heʼll be the first deputy president in Kenya to lose his job this way. This kind of removal process was added to Kenyaʼs rules in 2010. Today‚ Gachagua will talk for hours to answer the accusations

Yesterday‚ a lawmaker named Mwengi Mutuse‚ who is on Rutoʼs side‚ said Gachagua made people hate minorities from his home area. Mutuse also said Gachagua got properties worth more than $40 million since becoming deputy president. This is strange because Gachagua said he only had about $6 million before he got the job. But Gachaguaʼs lawyer‚ Elisha Ongoya‚ says these accusations dont have proof and are just guesses

Kenyaʼs courts said they wont stop this process‚ but they might look at if it was done right after its over. This is happening because Kenyaʼs politics changed after big street protests in June and July. These protests made Ruto take back some tax increases and change his cabinet. He put some of Raila Odingaʼs friends (who is the main opposition leader) in important jobs. This made Gachagua less powerful