Kalonzo, Kioni promise to back Gachagua in event of ouster bid

Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua with Former Vice President Kalonzo Musyoka during the Consecration of Bishop Elect Benson Gathugu Kamau at Jesus Compassion Ministry Church in Ruiru Constituency, Kiambu County on June 21, 2024. [DPCS]

Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua has received some unexpected boost  after Azimio co Principal Kalonzo Musyoka and Jubilee Secretary General Jeremiah Kioni promised to back him in the event he is impeached.

Kalonzo said the Azimio MPs in parliament will oppose the impeachment motion when it is tabled in the National Assembly.

 Speaking at the African Inland Church Milimani during a requiem mass for Mbaitu FM journalist Mercy Mawia Mwangi on Wednesday, Kalonzo said the Opposition will not not allow to be dragged in the ‘unnecessary fights.

“As a summit of Azimio, we have taken the position, if they bring an impeachment motion against Gachagua we will oppose it, we don't want to be drawn into those unnecessary fights between a sinking administration. We are not interested,” he said.

The Azimio coalition has 150 MPs where ODM has 90, Jubilee, 28 , Wiper 26  and  DAP-K 5. Kanu has five members of parliament. On the other hand UDA has 145 while its affiliates  Pamoja African Alliance has 3, Maendeleo Chap Chap 2 and United Party Independent Alliance 2.

The Service Party has 2, Union Progressive Alliance 2.  Seven other political parties have one m ember each while there 12 MPs elected on an independent ticket.

For an impeachment to pass the mover must obtain 233 members to reach the two thirds threshold.

Even as Kalonzo promised to support Gachagua in case of the impeachment motion, some  ODM MPs   led by the former Minority Leader Opiyo Wandayi and now the Cabinet Secretary Nomineee for Energy and Petroleum urged the Kenya Kwanza counterparts to introduce the motion and pledged their support

“ From where we sit as Azimio members, we see a situation where the marriage is not working. And if the marriage is not working, the logical thing to do is to separate,” Wandayi said.

 Ruaraka MP TJ Kajwang said, “There is nothing that stops them from dragging Gachaguaa here so that they can impeach him. They can impeach him so easily by bringing him here and voting against him,” he posed.

Homabay MP Peter Kaluma later wrote in his X platform “Gen Z has liberated the President from Gachagua and his myopic “shareholders.” Kenya is a multi-party democratic state. All Kenyans are in government and pay taxes. The President must uphold merit, ethnic and regional balance. No more 'sharestribalism' in government.”

On Thursday,  Kioni said the impeachment motion was a diversionary tactic that the Ruto-led administration wanted to use to divert the attention of the demands by Gen Z and further claimed if there has to be an impeachment motion, then two sets of impeachments against both Ruto and Gachagua was the way to go.

“The impeachment seeks to divide the nation along the ethnic lines and isolate Mt Kenya region against all the other communities and we are opposing it,” Kioni said.

Kalonzo on his part announced that the Azimio la Umoja One Kenya Coalition Party will oppose the motion.

At the same UDA's Githunguri MP, Gathoni Wamuchomba, who had initially opposed the DP  also vowed to defend Gachagua saying they will not allow the second in command to be victimised and harassed.

She accused the proponents of the impeachment plan of seeking to divert the attention of Kenya from more pressing issues.

"They are just looking for a reason to divert attention from the ongoing protests that are happening in Kenya so that they can fix individuals," she said.

"We are waiting for those raising issues to impeach the Deputy resident.  we will not allow anybody to victimise others because of defending and representing their community."

At the same time, Nyeri Governor Mutahi Kahiga yesterday claimed President Ruto is not the candidate who they campaigned and voted for based on the unfolding of political events.

In an interview on Inooro TV, Kahiga said the Ruto he knew during campaigns was humble, a gentleman, and a hearing candidate but after ascending to power, he became temperamental and did not want to hear the alternative voices such as on the matter of high taxation.

“When he could pick our calls I told him that if elections were held today, Mt Kenya region could not vote for him. I shared with him about the ordinary Kenyans’ plight about the high taxation but he stayed put that we needed to service debts,” Kahiga said.

Gachagua’s ally said while the region voted for Ruto as a result of the humiliation he suffered in the former regime which was led by former President Uhuru Kenyatta, he was overseeing a repeat of the same to Gachagua.

“We focused on Uhuru’s promises to Ruto where he promised to support his Deputy for ten years after his tenure as opposed to evaluating what Ruto was bringing us and now that he is the President, we are witnessing the same predicament we faced in the last regime,” Kahiga added.

He was apprehensive that Mt Kenya was shortchanged by the Kenya Kwanza administration for counting on trust to vote for Ruto and failing to have its memorandum of understanding to enumerate the gains it could get upon securing a win.

“From unsubstantiated claims of undermining the President to being denied chopper to carry out his duties and with some leaders close to the President hurling all manner of insults to the second in command, this is what Gachagua has to contend with on daily basis while the President is mum,” he said.

Recalling the seven-day self-introspection period where Gachagua kept off the public limelight, the governor claimed that when he could not find him through the phone, he contacted his farm workers and security officers and pleaded to talk to Gachagua who allowed him to visit him after intense persuasion.

“I found him all alone, with a heavy heart because after evaluating the unfolding of events, he had not wronged anyone and this touched me also,” he said.

Kahiga also dismissed the ongoing grilling of Gachagua’s allies claiming it was only a ploy to look for grounds to impeach Gachagua.

“MPs Benjamin Gathiru (Embakasi Central) and James Gakuya (Embakasi North) only held meetings while trying to look for UDA Nairobi chairmanship. We also wonder why Kiunjuri is not being quizzed over his claims that over 25000 people were ferried to Nairobi for protests,” he said.