President William Ruto has remained conspicuously silent since the impeachment motion against his deputy, Rigathi Gachagua, was tabled.
The situation escalated when the Senate went ahead and impeached Gachagua in absentia, citing his hospitalization at Karen Hospital due to illness.
Politicians and citizens allied with the deputy have expressed anger and disbelief, condemning the president’s silence.
Former UDA Secretary-General Cleophas Malala was nearly in tears, questioning the president’s empathy.
“What kind of a human being are you, Mr. President? What heart are you made of, Mr. President?” Malala exclaimed.
Malala further lamented that the besieged Rigathi was crucial in Ruto’s rise to the presidency, but felt betrayed by Ruto’s actions, especially during Gachagua’s vulnerable moment.
“We are very disheartened, we are very disappointed. But we leave you to God,” Malala stated.
MP Gathoni wa Muchomba, who visited Gachagua at Karen Hospital, criticized the political climate, saying it had eroded the respect and dignity of life.
“It’s quite unfortunate that politics has pushed us to the extent that we no longer respect and dignify life. The honorable thing the Senate should have done is to allow the DP to recover and continue with the process,” Muthoni remarked.
The residents of Nyeri County have not taken kindly to the impeachment motion and the nomination of Kithure Kindiki to replace their native son.
Many feel that the president used Gachagua merely to secure the presidency.
In a last-ditch effort, Gachagua turned to the courts. In a favorable turn of events for him, the court has put on hold the planned swearing-in of the newly appointed Deputy President, Professor Kithure Kindiki, until October 24, 2024.
Dr. Miguna Miguna, in a tweet, pondered the potential outcome if Gachagua were to attend the Mashujaa Day celebrations on Sunday.
“I would like Rigathi Gachagua to attend the Mashujaa Day event wherever Ruto will be, in a wheelchair with Dorcas in tow. He should be pushed slowly by both Dr. Gikonyo and senior counsel Muite to his seat, next to Ruto’s,” read part of the tweet.
Both the National Assembly and the Senate voted to remove the deputy on 11 counts and five counts respectively.
