A heated debate ensued as legislators discussed the special motion on the impeachment of Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua.
Lawmakers traded barbs on the allegations against Gachagua on the floor of the House, with the majority voicing support for his removal from office.
Rarieda MP Otiende Amollo asserted that the Deputy President must stand impeached for sidelining regions that voted against President William Ruto and for his blatant disdain toward Parliament and the courts.
"Whoever advised the DP to give that interview did not have his interests at heart but has made our work easier because now there are self-incriminations, confessions, and admissions that we can use," Amollo said.
The Rarieda lawmaker raised concerns about Gachagua's alleged insubordination against President Ruto and defiance to Cabinet memorandum, saying the Deputy President is unfit to hold office.
"It is clear that the Deputy President can no longer deputize the President. It is also clear that the DP can no longer be part of the Cabinet. Even under labor laws, you cannot be insubordinate to your boss," Amollo asserted.
Deputy Majority Leader Owen Baya, while seconding the motion, criticized the Deputy President for describing the bicameral house as a 'theatre of the absurd,' saying such comments show that he is unfit to hold office.
"The Deputy called Parliament a theatre of the absurd, a house of ridicule, and a House that processes trash. A person of the stature of the Deputy President, who can say such things about this House, does not deserve to continue serving as the Deputy of the Republic," Baya stated.
Baya alleged that Gachagua demanded a payment of Sh16 billion for supporting President Ruto.
"What is absurd is when the DP demands Sh2,000 for each of the 8 million votes (sic) from Mt. Kenya, amounting to Sh16 billion, so he can bring peace to this country. That is the theatre of the absurd," he said.
Kitui Central MP Makali Mulu however defended Gachagua, arguing that the evidence on the eleven grounds against him is not strong enough to meet the threshold of an impeachment motion.
"I have listened to the grounds of this impeachment motion and to Mr. Mutuse trying to justify it. I have picked out a few, and I'm still asking myself whether the DP deserves to be impeached based on those grounds," Mulu stated.
"We must, therefore, separate personal issues from issues that matter to Kenyans so that we do not, as a House, act with a mob justice mentality and, at other stages, lose our objectivity," he added.
Minority Whip Millie Odhiambo said Gachagua's comments in the political arena have led to his proposed removal from office, saying they were divisive and aimed at marginalizing Kenyans.
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"If the Deputy President had been quiet, he would have gained support from many people in this House, but he did not tame his tongue. Every time he spoke, he further divided the country," Odhiambo said.
Supporting the embattled Deputy President, Githunguri MP Gathoni Wamuchomba insisted that Gachagua "is not going anywhere", despite the odds against him.
"I rise to defend Gachagua against mob justice, a process that has not given him the right of reply before we went for public participation. The facts read out to members of the public [were] mere allegations," she remarked.
"Everyone here has a place where they come from, and every good thing comes from Jerusalem. You must first start in your home place. The Deputy President is going nowhere; he is going to stay here to serve us."
Nyandarua Woman Representative Faith Gitau criticized the Deputy President for what she termed as propagation an ethnic outlook and advancing a "selfish ethnic agenda" in the country.
"For him, it is about his community and nothing more. After an election, the government has to serve both those who voted for it and those who did not," Gitau asserted.
