The impeachment trial of Kenya’s Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua has been put on hold following an incident that required him to be hospitalized.
Reports indicate that Gachagua was admitted at Karen Hospital allegedly suffering intense chest pains.
Gachagua was present for the initial session on October 16, 2024 (first day) and also attended the morning of the second day on October 17, 2024.
However, he was absent for the afternoon session when he was scheduled for cross-examination by the National Assembly lawyers.
His attorney, Paul Muite, notified the Senate that Gachagua had been admitted to a hospital in Nairobi and was unable to participate in the proceedings.
But the National Assembly lawyers urged Speaker Amason Kingi to address the situation, emphasizing the urgency of the impeachment trial.
The speaker noted that since the impeachment trial is a process with a strict timeline, the House faced two probable paths: either continue with the trial without additional input from the accused or postpone the hearing to allow Guchagua another opportunity to provide his testimony.
Accordingly, Eric Omollo, a renown lawyer, Gachagua must be given opportunity to plead his case.
“The public participation in the National Assembly was undertaken before hearing Gachagua’s side of the story. If he’s not given an opportunity by the Senate to plead his case, then Gachagua would build additional ground to challenge the impeachment process,” he noted in one of the interviews.
