Former Bahati MP Kimani Ngunjiri has urged President William Ruto to consider appointing a Deputy President from outside the Mt. Kenya region if the impeachment motion against Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua succeeds. Speaking on a TV show on Monday morning, Ngunjiri said it might be better to choose someone from a different region to ease tensions within Mt. Kenya.
“I want to urge the President, Samoei Arap Ruto, that if Gachagua is removed, do not give Central that seat again. It seems like the region is the problem,” Ngunjiri remarked. “Take it somewhere else so that the people of *murima* can live in peace.”
These remarks come amid debates within the Rift Valley region regarding Gachagua’s potential replacement. Some leaders, including Kapseret MP Oscar Sudi, have assured the Mt. Kenya region that the next Deputy President will still come from their community if Gachagua is impeached.
“There is no doubt that *murima* is at the core of this government. No one has an issue with the majority of leaders from the mountain, except for one. Even his replacement will surely come from the mountain. That’s a sure bet,” Sudi said on October 2.
In a similar sentiment, Kipkelion West MP Hillary Kosgei acknowledged the contributions of the Mt. Kenya people but stressed the need for leadership change. “The people of Mt. Kenya are good. We just want to replace Gachagua with another leader from the region,” Kosgei said.
Gachagua is facing an impeachment motion with 11 charges, including inflammatory and inciteful remarks, undermining national unity, contradicting the president, public attacks on judges, and gross violation of the Constitution. Additional charges include using abusive language, accumulating questionable wealth amounting to KSh 5.2 billion, insubordination, bullying Kenya Medical Supplies Authority (KEMSA) officials, and failing integrity tests.
