The impeached Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua has publicly accused President William Ruto of cruelty after being ousted from office by the Senate. Gachagua claims that his security has been withdrawn, putting his life in danger.
On Sunday, following his removal from office due to five of the eleven charges brought against him, Gachagua criticized Ruto vehemently, warning that his life could be at risk. “I am astonished at how someone I helped to become president, someone I had faith in, can show such great cruelty toward me,” he told the press.
The 59-year-old, who has faced significant turmoil, reported that his security detail has been withdrawn and all his staff have been placed on mandatory leave. “If anything happens to me or my family, President William Ruto must be held accountable,” he asserted, claiming there have been previous attempts on his life.
Gachagua spoke after being discharged from a Nairobi hospital, where he was receiving treatment for intense chest pains. He fell ill just an hour before he was scheduled to testify in a historic two-day removal hearing.
The Senate proceeded with voting to remove him from office after his legal team failed to adjourn the session. He was found guilty of charges including threatening judges and inciting ethnic division, but was cleared of charges related to corruption and money laundering.
In the fast-evolving political saga, Ruto quickly appointed Interior Cabinet Secretary Kithure Kindiki as Gachagua’s successor. However, the High Court in Nairobi suspended the appointment just minutes after the National Assembly voted to approve Kindiki, a prominent political figure aged 52.
A panel of three judges is set to hear the case on Tuesday. Gachagua criticized Ruto for blatantly disregarding court orders, stating, “I do not understand such cruelty… at a time when one is at their lowest in life, trying to survive, to inflict such great cruelty is incomprehensible.”
As of now, President Ruto has not publicly commented on Gachagua’s removal from office. Notably, Gachagua is the first Deputy President to be removed from office in this manner since the introduction of the impeachment provisions in Kenya’s 2010 constitution.
