Kenyan lawmakers began proceedings to remove the vice president

Members of parliament in Kenya have begun the process of removing the country’s vice president.

Supporters of the effort accuse Rigathi Gachagua of a role in violent anti-government protests in June, as well as involvement in corruption, undermining the government and promoting divisive ethnic politics. clan.

The vice president has denied the allegations.

This was the culmination of a major falling out between Gachagua and President William Ruto.

On Tuesday, the president of the National Assembly authorized the start of impeachment proceedings after the motion to start things was supported by 291 MPs, exceeding the required threshold of 117 MPs.

The impeachment itself is expected to pass both houses of parliament easily, after the main opposition joined forces with the president’s party following recent protests. But there’s still no specific date for when that will actually happen.

Multiple attempts to stop the impeachment effort through the courts have failed.

The power struggle between the president and his deputy has led to fears of instability within the government, at a time when Kenya is mired in a deep economic and financial crisis.

Ruto chose Gachagua as his running mate in the 2022 election, when he defeated former Prime Minister Raila Odinga in a hotly contested election.

Gachagua from the Mount Kenya region has many votes and has helped attract support for Ruto.

But with members of Odinga’s party joining the government after youth-led protests forced Ruto to back down on tax increases, the political dynamic has changed – and the vice president is increasingly isolated. establish.

However, Gachagua struck a defiant tone, saying he had the support of voters in his native Kenya’s central region.

“Two hundred [legislators] It is impossible to reverse the will of the people,” he said.

For the motion to pass, it requires the support of at least two-thirds of the members of the National Assembly and the Senate, excluding nominated members.

Supporters of the proposal are confident it will be approved.

But Gachagua has made it clear that he will not go down without a fight.

“The president can ask lawmakers to stop. So if it continues, he will be in it,” he told the media ahead of Tuesday’s parliamentary session.

Ruto has previously vowed not to subject Gachagua to “political repression,” similar to what he said he experienced as deputy to his predecessor, Uhuru Kenyatta.

But the rift between Ruto and Gachagua has become apparent in recent months.

The vice president was conspicuously absent from seeing his boss off at the airport when he went abroad and welcoming him when he returned.

Home Affairs Minister Kithure Kindiki, a law professor trusted by the president, appears to be taking on some of the vice president’s responsibilities – which also happened when Ruto and Kenyatta fell out.

Like Gachagua, Kindiki hails from Mount Kenya – the region with the largest voting bloc in Kenya.

Dozens of lawmakers have rallied behind Kindiki as the region’s preferred “spokesperson,” adding to speculation that they are pushing for him to succeed Gachagua.

That leaves the vice president largely isolated with only a handful of elected politicians supporting him.

In a further sign that he is in political trouble, the police’s Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI) recently recommended the prosecution of two lawmakers, a staffer and other close allies of the deputy president, after accusing them of “planning, mobilizing and financing violence.” protest” occurred in June.

Gachagua defended the defendant, denouncing the charges as an “act of aggression” and an “evil plot” aimed at “infringing” on his good name and laying the groundwork for his impeachment.

In parliament last week, Kindiki – part of the DCI department – ​​pledged neutrality, but made clear that “senior individuals” would be prosecuted.

“We are dealing with the consequences of the attempt to overthrow the Kenyan constitution by dangerous and criminal people who almost burned down the Kenyan parliament,” he said. We have work to do.”

But many young people at the forefront of the protests reject suggestions that Gachagua’s allies are behind them and see lawmakers’ push to oust him as an attempt to deflect divert attention from bad management.

People say if the deputy goes, the president has to go too.

In the Senate, an opposition lawmaker filed a motion to censure the president. It does not carry the same weight as impeachment and has no legal consequences.

Ruto, who is expected to host lawmakers from his party this weekend, will weigh the political risks of opposing Gachagua, but some lawmakers say they do not want him involved. Join the debate – a difficult question.

For now, Gachagua’s fate depends on lawmakers, but one person can still give him a new political life – the president.