Okiya Omtatah Says He Declined KSh 10m from Govt to Impeach Rigathi Gachagua
- Busia senator says he was against Rigathi Gachagua's impeachment from the onset, saying it was based on a nonexistent constitutional provision
- Omtatah argued that the constitution only allows for the impeachment of the president, stating that an amendment ought to have been made to the provision to accommodate the ouster of the deputy president
- He claimed that his colleagues in the Senate were paid KSh 10 million each to facilitate Gachagua's impeachment
Eli Odaga, a journalist at TUKO.co.ke, brings more than three years of experience covering politics and current affairs in Kenya.
Busia senator claims that senators were paid last October to impeach Rigathi Gachagua from the Office of the Deputy President.
Source: Facebook
Were senators paid to impeach Gachagua?
The senator revealed that money was poured to drive the impeachment to success.
According to Omtatah, lawmakers in the upper house were given KSh 10 million each to support the campaign against Gachagua.
"There was a lot of money dished out during Rigathi Gachagua's impeachment. They were giving KSh 10 million to each senator, and that is the truth. Kenyans should know that there is no parliament as it has been compromised by the Executive," Omtatah said.
At the same time, the senator argued that the impeachment was illegal as it was not recognised by the constitution.
Omtatah said that Gachagua was supposed to be prosecuted if he indeed had committed any crimes, stating that the impeachment was inappropriately based on a constitutional provision meant for the president.
There is no provision allowing the impeachment of the deputy president as of yet, he said.
"I stood against the impeachment and voted no for all the 11 charges Gachagua was impeached for. We used the wrong law to impeach him. The Kenyan constitution (Article 150) has only provided for the impeachment of the president. And if Gachagua was in any wrong, he ought to have been charged in court instead of being impeached. The impeachment is meant for the president because he cannot be taken to court. If we were to impeach the deputy president, then the law should have been amended. It is for that reason that I said I would not side with injustice to someone," Omtatah added.
Omtatah spoke on Friday, July 11, in Murang'a County, at the sendoff of Boniface Kariuki, a musk vendor shot by police during protests in Nairobi.
The funeral saw the attendance of ranking politicians from the opposition, led by Wiper leader Kalonzo Musyoka.
Source: Facebook
What leaders promised Boniface Kariuki's family
In their speeches, the politicians sustained attacks on President William Ruto's regime, which they accused of engineering extrajudicial killings.
They maintained their calls to Ruto to give up power, supposedly having run down the country.
The leaders vowed to push for the deceased's justice until it is served to the bereaved family on his behalf.
Murang'a governor Irungu Kang'ata said; "We are very angry at the killing of Boniface, as people from Murang'a and Mt Kenya. We are demanding justice for Boniface Kariuki. This young man had not wronged anyone. He was struggling in Nairobi as a hawker. We saw he was attacked while unarmed. We have seen that the government is aggravating the young people. Boniface and other young Kenyans looked forward to the government protecting them. They don't deserve to die, but protected. The government must take responsibility for the death of Boniface. We tell the government that we shall not rest until he gets justice."
Source: TUKO.co.ke
