Kenya's deputy president impeachment case now in senate's hands

The Senate has 10 days to wrap up the proceedings and make a decision on the motion Kenya's Senate was meeting Wednesday to begin hearing the impeachment motion against Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua, fast-tracking a process stemming from a bitter fallout with President William Ruto. In a historic move on Tuesday, the lower house of parliament, the National Assembly, voted overwhelmingly to impeach the 59-year-old Gachagua. The motion accused him of corruption, insubordination, undermining the government and practising ethnically divisive politics, among a host of other charges that he has strongly denied. Senate speaker Amason Jeffah Kingi said the upper house would hear the charges from 9:30 am (0630 GMT), telling lawmakers "we are expecting a heavy day". 10 days The Senate has 10 days to wrap up the proceedings and make a decision on the motion, which requires the support of at least two-thirds of senators to pass. If approved, Gachagua would become the first deputy president to be removed from office in this way since impeachment was introduced in Kenya's revised 2010 constitution. The impeachment can however be appealed through the courts. ➤ Click here to follow our WhatsApp channel for more stories.