Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua has confirmed that he will appear before the National Assembly on Tuesday to defend himself against what he describes as "outrageous" accusations outlined in an impeachment motion.
During a press conference at his official residence in Karen, Nairobi, Gachagua stated that he would honor the summons. "I have been invited to appear before the National Assembly tomorrow at 5 p.m., and I want to assure the honorable members, the Speaker, and the people of Kenya that I will be present to present my defense for two hours," he said.
He expressed his hope that MPs would allow him to address all the allegations without interruption. Gachagua also explained that he held the press conference to present his defense directly to Kenyans before addressing their representatives in Parliament.
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"It is only fair that when members of Parliament seek to remove the Deputy President from office, the people who elected me get to hear my side of the story," he said.
The impeachment motion, introduced by Kibwezi West MP Mwengi Mutuse on September 26, cites 11 reasons for Gachagua's removal, including allegedly amassing suspicious wealth amounting to KSh 5.2 billion in two years, undermining the President, and promoting ethnic divisions.
Gachagua has denied all accusations, labeling them a political witch hunt. "This is a scheme to force me out of office due to other considerations, and it has nothing to do with violations of the Constitution, gross misconduct, or national and international crimes," he said.
He emphasized that Kenyans have the right to hear his response to what he called "outrageous allegations." Gachagua also criticized the public participation process conducted on Friday and Saturday, calling it a "shoddy exercise" that did not include his side of the story. He added that the questionnaire was written in legal jargon that many Kenyans found difficult to understand, preventing them from making informed decisions.
