A section of residents of Nyeri County took to the streets on Friday to protest the impeachment motion facing Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua.
A video online residents chanting “No Rigathi, No Ruto” while raising solidarity fists as their protests occurred ahead of the public participation exercise that is set to take place in Nyeri County regarding the impeachment motion.
There were also chants of “Kufa dereva, kufa makanga”, which simply means that if Gachagua goes, then the President should also go.
The supporters started singing and dancing to show support for the second-in-command.
Kibwezi West MP Mutuse Mwengi tabled the impeachment motion against Wakiaga in the National Assembly on Tuesday.
This was followed by the directive of the Speaker of the National Assembly, Moses Wetang’ula, that public participation is conducted on Friday before the motion is debated and voted.
“It would be preposterous for anyone to imagine that such a motion would be complete without input from the public. Article 182 of the Constitution demands that Parliament offers opportunity for public participation in its parliamentary and other businesses, including the committees of Parliament,” said Wetang’ula.
Mwengi listed 11 reasons for impeachment, which the public will be expected to scrutinize during the participation process. Corruption, abuse of office, and gross violation of the constitution are among the charges.
Residents will be asked to vote if they agree or disagree that the deputy president should be impeached.
Security has been tightened across the country with the start of the participation process by the public.
As the motion gains national attention, Kenyans will be expected to share their views on the matter.
The outcome of the participation process shall be critical in the subsequent parliamentary debate and vote on the impeachment.
