The twists and turns revolving around the impeachment of former Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua, the subsequent nomination and approval of the former DP’s replacement and a High Court order slamming brakes on the move have sparked debates within the political class.
Gachagua was impeached Thursday night by the Senate and by Friday morning, President William Ruto nominated Interior Cabinet Secretary (CS) Kithure Kindiki as his replacement.
The National Assembly almost immediately approved the nomination, sparking speculation that Kindiki could be sworn in on Saturday.
This was even after the court suspended the Senate’s decision to uphold the National Assembly’s October 8 impeachment of Gachagua and stopped Ruto from appointing his replacement.
Former United Democratic Alliance (UDA) Party Secretary General Cleophas Malala has joined in the debate surrounding Gachagua’s impeachment, this time claiming that he will save the former embattled DP.
Malala made the claims in a reply to Kirinyaga governor Anne Waiguru who was among the favorites to be nominated as the former DP’s replacement.
The former UDA Party secretary general reminded Waiguru of how he “saved” her from an impeachment in 2020.
Malala recalls how he “saved Waiguru” from impeachment
Malala was making reference to when Waiguru survived an impeachment motion against her in 2020 after the Senate dismissed the motion seeking to remove her from office on grounds of abuse of office and gross misconduct.
“Remember I am a professional in saving people who are impeached. Do you remember your Kirinyaga impeachment case? Even this one of Rigathi Gachagua I will perform the same miracle. God first,” said the former Kakamega senator.
Also Read: DP Rigathi Gachagua Impeached by Senators
During Waiguru’s impeachment hearing, Malala who was serving as Kakamega Senator was selected as the chairperson of the Senate’s 11-member committee that conducted a two-day hearing into the allegations.
Kirinyaga MCAs passed the motion accusing the governor of having undermined their authority.
Some 23 out of the 33 MCAs had supported the motion before it was passed and later tabled in Senate.
On its part, the Cleophas Malala-led committee concluded its hearings and made a determination into the allegations which saved Waiguru.
“The Committee having investigated the matter in accordance with its mandate under section 33(4) of the County Governments Act and standing order 75(2) of the Senate Standing Orders reports to the Senate that it finds that the two Charges against the Governor have not been substantiated,” read the report by the committee.
Kindiki congratulated after replacing Gachagua
Malala was firing back at Waiguru after the two-term governor took to her social media to congratulate CS Kindiki for his nomination as the next Deputy President.
Also Read: Anne Waiguru’s Rising Star and Why She Could Be Kenya’s First Female Deputy President
Waiguru who was among politicians who congratulated Kindiki for his nomination went ahead to thank those who supported her for the position.
“My brother Professor Kindiki, my sincere congratulations. To you history has placed an honor and responsibility accorded to only a few. May God guide you and HE William Ruto as you lead this great country to achieve its tremendous potential. To those that supported me for this position, I thank you,” said Waiguru.
“We must now dedicate our efforts to building a better Kenya under the leadership of President William Ruto and Kithure Kindiki.”
Follow our WhatsApp Channel for real-time news updates!
https://whatsapp.com/channel/0029VaB3k54HltYFiQ1f2i2C
