NAIROBI, Oct 17 (Reuters) – Kenya’s Senate opened a second day of hearings on Thursday ahead of a vote on whether to remove Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua from office over charges he embezzled public funds, stirred ethnic hatred and undermined the government, which he denies.
The National Assembly voted last week to impeach Gachagua, who helped President William Ruto win an election two years ago but has been assailed by allies of the president over alleged disloyalty and a series of provocative public comments.
Ruto has not commented on the impeachment process, while Gachagua has called it a political lynching based on falsehoods.
If two-thirds of senators back the motion in a vote scheduled for Thursday evening, Gachagua will become the first Kenyan president or deputy president forced from office by impeachment, a process introduced under the 2010 constitution.
The second day of hearings is scheduled to include hours of testimony by Gachagua, who will respond to a litany of accusations laid out on Wednesday by a lawmaker from Ruto’s coalition.
The lawmaker, Mwengi Mutuse, said Gachagua had incited hatred in comments about ethnic minorities from his home region.
Mutuse also accused Gachagua of acquiring properties worth over $40 million since becoming deputy president, despite reporting a net worth before entering office of only around $6 million.
In response, Gachagua’s lawyer, Elisha Ongoya, said the allegations lacked evidence and were based on speculation.
Kenyan courts have declined to block the proceedings as Gachagua requested but have said they could review the legality of the process once it is completed.
The impeachment follows a realignment of Kenyan politics following mass street protests in June and July that forced Ruto to withdraw proposed tax hikes and shake up his cabinet.
Ruto appointed several allies of the main opposition leader Raila Odinga as ministers, a move that was seen as weakening Gachagua’s influence.
(Reporting by George Obulutsa and Sonia Rao; Editing by Aaron Ross and Christina Fincher)
