Eugene Wamalwa, the Democratic Action Party of Kenya (DAP-K) leader, has alleged a plot to push the courts into holding night sessions this weekend to finalize the impeachment of Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua. Speaking on Citizen TV’s Friday Night Show, Wamalwa hinted at the involvement of a powerful force within the executive driving the push for Gachagua’s removal.
He claimed that this force was attempting to influence the courts to hold late-night hearings in an effort to overturn a High Court ruling that had blocked Gachagua’s impeachment. “The CJ has called for the 24th of October for the hearing. Between now and then, because we know there are efforts to force the courts to sit during the weekend at night, to overturn the court orders,” Wamalwa said.
The former defense minister questioned the rush in conducting the impeachment process, particularly pointing to the late-night parliamentary session where voting took place. He argued that the Constitution allows for the process to take days, stressing that there was no legal urgency that required MPs to treat the matter as an emergency.
Wamalwa further emphasized that the government should have followed proper legal procedures and allowed Gachagua to defend himself in the Senate after recovering from illness. He expressed concern about the direction the country was taking, stating, “We are saying, there’s more than meets the eye, where is Kenya going? It is because they have been told, one man has said by Sunday when we go to Mashujaa Day, I don’t want that man next to me, I want a new deputy.”
The DAP-K leader also accused Parliament of being under the control of the Executive, claiming that lawmakers were acting at the behest of the president.
“So when parliament is told jump, it’s asking how high? It should be independent. And that is why we are saying parliament has been captured,” he stated.
While acknowledging the High Court decision that suspended DP Gachagua’s impeachment, Wamalwa appealed to President Ruto to allow the courts to do their job without interference.
He reminded the President of the time when he (Ruto) was at loggerheads with his boss, former President Uhuru Kenyatta but the latter allowed him to complete his term without pushing for his removal.
“We thank the judges in Milimani who made the orders to preserve our Constitution and status quo. William Ruto you have disobeyed many orders, please don’t disobey this one. Allow the court to hear this matter… 60 days should have been given,” he said.
“Kenya is not going anywhere; you might hate Gachagua but you did the same to Uhuru Kenyatta and he never removed you, he put up with you for 4 years.”
