Rigathi Gachagua’s impeachment marks Kenya’s first under the 2010 Constitution, reshaping power dynamics and exposing deep political rifts.
The process of removing Kenya’s deputy president Rigathi Gachagua is part of a long history, dating back to independence, of fallouts between the president and his deputy. The difference this time around is the process.
Historically, presidents have fired their deputies. But the adoption of a new constitution in 2010 introduced a process for impeachment – for both the president and the deputy – that’s run by Parliament. This is the first time it’s been used.
On 8 October 2024, members of Kenya’s National Assembly voted to impeach Gachagua on grounds that included corruption, insubordination and ethnically divisive politics. The case then moved to the Senate, where members would hear the charges – and Gachagua’s defence – and vote.
If at least two-thirds of the Senate accept the charges and Gachagua’s legal challenges fail, then Gachagua will make history as Kenya’s first deputy leader to be impeached.
So far, President William Ruto has stayed silent on the matter, but the process would not be proceeding without his blessing.
Fallouts Are Not New
Amid the novelty of the impeachment process, it’s easy to forget that it is the norm for Kenyan presidents to fall out with their deputies. As a political scientist interested in Kenya’s ethnic politics and democratisation, I argue that this is because of how deputies are selected in the first place.
Deputies are usually chosen for pragmatic reasons — someone with regional support, campaign financing muscle, or a good public image — not loyalty or shared ideology. This selection method has long created instability in Kenya’s top leadership.
Even Uhuru Kenyatta and William Ruto had a tense second term relationship, climaxing with Ruto defeating Kenyatta’s preferred successor, Raila Odinga, in 2022.
Once in office, deputies have access to power, networks, and public platforms — often becoming perceived rivals. For example:
- Odinga mobilised a radical faction of KANU.
- Ruto became powerful after the ICC cases and clashed with Kenyatta.
- Gachagua’s influence in Mount Kenya and populist style made him increasingly uncomfortable for Ruto.
Their rift became pronounced after the anti-tax protests of 2024. Gachagua and allies were accused of funding the unrest — a move that sealed his political fate.
Though Ruto has the numbers in Senate, observers warn this move is risky. Those removed from power often mount fierce comebacks — a pattern throughout Kenya’s history.
Many Kenyans support the impeachment, but some — particularly in central Kenya — view it as unjust. Gachagua may be barred from public office, but he still retains influence as a political mobiliser.
How this narrative evolves — and what it reveals about Ruto’s consolidation of power — will shape Kenya’s political landscape in the months ahead.
