Githunguri Member of Parliament (MP) Gathoni Wamuchomba believes that the impending impeachment proceedings against Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua are being used as a ruse to divert Kenyans’ attention away from the thorny issues in government.
According to MP Wamuchomba, the government is using the Deputy President as a scapegoat to divert Kenyans’ attention away from contentious issues such as Adani’s controversial acquisition of Jomo Kenyatta International Airport (JKIA).
The legislator went on to argue that the government is avoiding admitting failure to keep its promises by removing Gachagua with baseless accusations.
“We are being kept busy with Gachagua’s impeachment so that Adani deal sails through, the [Social Health Insurance Fund] SHIF transition, with all the irregularities to pass,” she said speaking to Citizen TV on Monday.
“We are being diverted from key issues in this country. They are looking for someone to blame. Look at the grounds they are bringing.”
Wamuchomba continued; “They are all flimsy excuses without any solid reasoning. Somebody is very worried that the GenZs have gone calm and they will erupt again because the issues that took them to the streets have not been addressed.”
Among the charges brought against him, Gachagua is accused of violating Article 10. His accusers argue that his utterances have been inciteful, reckless inflammatory and capable of stirring ethnic hatred.
Wamuchomba argued that accusing the DP of supporting his tribal backyard, the Mt Kenya region is a misguided move because he is not the region’s first political supporter.
“Gachagua is not the first to defend Mt. Kenya region. Uhuru Kenyatta defended the region fiercely for 10 years. Why didn’t you say that he is a tribalist?” she posed.
She claimed that leaders have abandoned the pressing issues confronting their constituents in favor of meeting in hotels to plot how to remove the embattled DP.
“Does it mean that MPs have nothing else to do other than parade themselves in hotels every night to scheme how to remove one person? Every community in parliament have been going to hotels in cocoons of 10, 20 people,” she claimed.
The motion to impeach, as confirmed by Majority Leader Kimani Ichung’wah, will be tabled on Tuesday.
The motion will need the support of 233 MPs to pass, with reports indicating that as of the close of business on Sunday, 302 members of parliament had signed.
Other accusations made against DP Gachagua include violations of articles 147, 148, 174, 186, and 189, which speak to his behavior and responsibility as the principal assistant to the president.
He is also accused of corruptly and unlawfully acquiring assets with taxpayer funds. The assets are believed to be spread across Nyeri, Nairobi, and Kilifi counties.
If the motion passes, National Assembly Speaker Moses Wetangula will forward the resolution to Senate Speaker Amason Kingi for consideration within two days.
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