By Joseph Mutua Ndonga
This morning I listened to Kamgema MP Kihungi Wamae, who was being hosted by Kamau Wa Kengethe of iNooro TV.
The debate largely focused on the impending plan to impeach Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua.
The MP said he has not appended his signature to the list of legislators supporting the impeachment motion, and he is not intending to do so.
He also insisted that he would not vote in support of the motion if it landed on the floor of parliament.
When the anchor took him through the grounds listed, he curtly responded that these grounds ‘do not meet the thresholds of law’.
He further stated that the impeaching of DP would set a bad precedent because they were elected on the same ticket together with President William Ruto.
So if the motion sails through, the president will be the next target.
He, however, struggled for words when he was reminded that is not what happened when the previous impeachments against some county governors and deputies were filed.
If the governor was the one being targeted, it was only the county boss who was ousted. The same case applies if the deputy governor is targeted.
MP Kihungi also claimed that the MPs from Mount Kenya have developed cold feet as they were not coming out openly to support the motion.
So far, it is only majority leader Kimani Ichungwah who has signed up the motion.
The MP spoke a day after Senators and a section of MPs from the Mountain, who spoke in different functions held in the Mountain, openly supported the impeachment of Gachagua.
Notably, some of the grounds cited by anti-Gachagua crusaders were as follows: insubordination, abuse of office, and gross violation of the constitution and other laws of the land.
So far, the MPs supporting Gachagua were apparently confusing and misleading Kenyans.
They wanted them to believe that President William Ruto was behind Gachagua’s impeachment motion by virtue of being the leader of the ruling Kenya Kwanza coalition.
The President has nothing to do with this matter.
According to the Constitution of 2010, the impeachment process ought to be exclusively handled by parliament.
The President is not a member of parliament, and hence he has no vote. So, he has no power to dictate to MPs on how to carry on with their constitutional mandate.
But as the leader of the coalition, the law allows him to chair a parliamentary group (PG) meeting.
This will give the MPs an opportunity to freely discuss the agenda lined up, but the final decision lies with MPs.
Any member of the house is allowed to file this motion after managing to collect at least 117 signatures supporting the motion against DP.
Reports indicate that 300 members have so far signed up. The onus to prove the grounds lies squarely with the Mover.
The motion will only sail through if it garners a two-thirds majority, which is 233 members.
But this will not be the end of the road for DP Gachagua. The concurrence of the Senate will be required.
Joseph Mutua Ndonga Is A Writer And Social Commentator Based In Nairobi
