Nairobi — National Assembly has amended its calendar to have a special sitting on Friday for priority business with sources intimating that Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua successor will be consider by the house tomorrow.
The motion was moved by National Assembly Majority Whip Sylvanus Osoro which alliterated the short recess of the house to Tuesday next week which was set to commence on Friday this week.
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"That this house resolves to hold a special sitting on Friday and commences the short recess on Tuesday 22nd October and hold sitting on Friday 18th October 2024 commencing 9:30am and 2:30 pm for purposes of conducting priority business including mediated bills,"Osoro said while moving the motion.
"We need to recover time lost of the house including the Mazingira day which was a public holiday last week and the suspension of the sitting to hold a public participation on Gachagua's impeachment motion,"he added.
President William Ruto is expected to send a message to the house on his preferred deputy which will be communicated by the National Assembly Speaker Moses Wetangula.
Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua is currently battling an impeachment motion, with the Senate set to vote on Thursday. The motion, passed by 282 members of the National Assembly, marks a significant downturn in Gachagua's political fortunes.
All indications point out that the Senate will vote to impeach DP Gachagua tomorrow, after the Courts thwarted his bid to halt the impeachment process.
The country will have a new Deputy President by Saturday this week should the Senate uphold Gachagua's impeachment tomorrow.
Top contenders from Mount Kenya include Kindiki, Kirinyaga Governor Anne Waiguru, and Murang'a Governor Irungu Kang'ata. Outside the region, Prime Cabinet Secretary Musalia Mudavadi from the western region is also taunted as one of the contenders.
The constitutional timelines stipulate that President William Ruto is expected to nominate a person to fill the vacancy, and the National Assembly shall vote on the nomination within sixty days after receiving it.
Senators have currently converged for a pre-hearing meeting between 9 a.m. to 10 a.m. at the Senate chambers within Parliament, followed by a reading of charges between 10.30 to 11 a.m.
Both parties will be given an opportunity to give their opening statement where they will give their preliminary objection before the matter commences for thirty minutes each.
Legal counsel from the National Assembly will then be allowed to table evidence and call witnesses to testify before the Senators and for this, they have been allocated three hours. DP Gachagua's team has been allocated 2 hours for cross-examination.
Gachagua's legal team will be allocated a total three hours to mount a defense through presentations and calling of witnesses. Thereafter, the National Assembly representatives will be given two hours for cross examination.
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Lawyers from the National Assembly will be expected to give their closing statement between 4.30pm and 5.30 pm. Gachagua's defense team will then give its defense for an hour.
The debate on the on the proposed removal from office, by impeachment, of Rigathi Gachagua will then be debated before 6.30 pm and 8.30 pm followed by the voting process.
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