Deputy President (DP) Rigathi Gachagua has refuted claims that he demanded a Ksh8 billion package to step down and banged the table when President William Ruto reportedly denied him the exit package.
This is one of the grounds in the impeachment motion which will be tabled against him on Tuesday, October 1, 2024.
It is alleged that Gachagua asked President Ruto to compensate him for every vote he got in the Mount Kenya region during the 2022 general elections.
However, in an interview with local radio stations from the Mt Kenya East region on Sunday September 29, Gachagua dismissed the reports as baseless.
Gachagua said he has no interest in any benefits and criticized the media houses that published the news reports.
“I have no interest in any benefits. Today I saw a newspaper writing nonsense, claiming I banged the President’s table demanding eight billion shillings. I have no need for money,” he said.
The DP explained that he could have gotten money from President Uhuru Kenyatta’s government prior to the 2022 general elections but instead stood with President Ruto.
He maintained that his main focus is serving the people who elected them in the presidential elections.
“If I wanted money from the government, I could have gotten it from the previous administration because I was constantly pursued and pressured to abandon President William Ruto and join the other side.
I am not greedy for money; I don’t have many needs. My children are grown, my wife is a pastor, and I’m done with raising kids. I am someone who prioritizes the concerns of the people,” Gachagua said.
Gachagua on Ruto Picking New Deputy
Gachagua said the president can decide to pick a new deputy at the right time, adding that he cannot advise him on that.
He explained that Ruto chose him willingly as his deputy and should give him the opportunity to serve the people.
“The matter of the running mate was the President’s decision. At the right time, he may want to make a different decision, and that is up to him; it is within his purview.
We cannot tell him what kind of decision he can make in the future, that is his decision. All we are asking for is to be given the opportunity to finish the contract we have,” Gachagua said.
Also Read: Kimani Ichung’wah Confirms Gachagua’s Impeachment
Wetangula & Ichung’wah Back Motion
National Assembly Speaker Moses Wetangula and Majority Leader Kimani Ichung’wah acknowledged the existence of the impeachment motion and supported it.
Wetangula told congregants of Wamunyu Catholic Church in Machakos County on Sunday that he supports Gachagua’s ouster motion.
He accused Gachagua of tribalism, stating that leaders threatening the nation’s peace must be held accountable.
“If anyone is jeopardizing our country’s peace, they should be impeached. This applies to me or any other leader because we seek peace,” he said.
Also Read: DETAILS: Ksh8 Billion Ransom Leading to Gachagua’s Impeachment
Gachagua Impeachment Grounds
The DP faces nine additional charges outlined in a 40-page impeachment motion, including amassing Ksh5.7 billion over the past two years from undisclosed sources, aside from his Ksh12 million annual salary.
Gachagua is also accused of misuse of his office to divert materials intended for the Malindi-Kilifi highway toward the construction of a private hotel in Kilifi linked to him.
He is further on the edge for leaking state secrets despite having taken an oath of secrecy and of threatening, intimidating, and publicly criticizing state officials, including MPs and National Intelligence Service (NIS) Director General Noordin Haji.
Other charges include sponsoring goons to disrupt the Gen-Z demonstrations in June and July, endangering national security.
Additional charges involve promoting tribalism through his “shareholder” rhetoric and pushing for the “one man, one vote, one shilling” revenue distribution model.
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