By The Weekly Vision Reporter
A plot to impeach Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua over his lackadaisical support for the contentious Finance Bill 2024 is in the offing. The deputy president can be impeached Under Articles 144 and 145 of The Constitution. The Finance Bill 2024 was introduced in The National Assembly yesterday afternoon by Majority Leader Kimani Ichungw’ah after the government dropped a raft of controversial proposals. Top on the list of the proposals withdrawn following sustained public pressure is a plan to impose a 16 per cent Value Added Tax on bread, financial services and foreign exchange transactions.
The plot to impeach the DP was mooted by individuals with close links to President William Ruto, sources told The Weekly Vision, it kicked off last week and involved instigating fear among MPs linked to the DP, they were compelled to vote in favour of the controversial Finance Bill nonetheless.
Following private discussions within the Mount Kenya MP’s inner circle, many expressed intentions to vote against the contentious finance bill. Credible insider sources revealed that the strategy by President Ruto’s inner team entailed employing a vocal Member of Parliament from western Kenya, a member of the Kenya Kwanza administration, with the mandate to submit a notice of motion once the team successfully gathers enough signatures to meet the necessary numbers to meet the impeachment threshold.
A closer look at the number of MPs in parliament indicates that if President Ruto endorses the impeachment plot, he can easily gather the majority’s support. However, if his lobbying endeavour falls short, Mr Gachagua will emerge even stronger than before.
Political analysts have advised President Ruto of the potential consequences of divorcing his DP just a few years before 2027arguing that it would inevitably lead him to his rural home of Sugoi in 2027. Additionally, there is a looming threat of Mount Kenya voters withdrawing their support from the Kenya Kwanza administration and engaging in their political trajectory for 2027.
Nonetheless, there is a plan in place to remove the Deputy President and Mount Kenya from President Ruto’s equation to enable him to establish new political alliances well in advance of his 2027 re-election endeavour. Supporters of the proposal maintain that even if they are unsuccessful in ousting the DP, they will have signalled a warning that he is not as crucial as he was portrayed to be. Reports suggest that DP Gachagua has been acting as if he is Co-president with William Ruto, disregarding the fact that the office of the Deputy President is subordinate to the presidency.
