Allies of Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua are plotting a detailed strategy to counter a planned impeachment motion against him, it emerged yesterday.

The DP’s team has vowed to fight to the hilt to defend him against his detractors should the motion find its way to the floor of the National Assembly.

The motion, according to some politicians, could be in the works although word has it that President William Ruto has not sanctioned it.

Yesterday, a close ally of the DP, former Laikipia Woman Rep Cate Waruguru, laid bare the plan to save the second in command.

She claimed that the reason the tabling of the motion had been delayed was that some MPs from the Mt Kenya region were developing cold feet for fear of a backlash from their constituents.

Whole hog

The DP’s team will go the whole hog, including moving to court, to thwart the motion, Waruguru said on Kameme FM.

“The President has powers to coerce MPs to vote the way he wants, but he has no control over the courts. We will go up to the Supreme Court to challenge the evil move,” pledged Waruguru.

She added: “We will start by dismantling the impeachment motion, and if they force it through, we will take the court’s route, just the way governors do. Ruto has no control over the Judiciary and his numbers will not count in the courts.

“Any plan to undermine [Gachagua] will not work. We are also ready to counter them in Parliament. Kenyans should not be deceived that it’s only the President who has the numbers.”

At the weekend, Gachagua’s troops trained their guns on pro-Ruto political operatives, revealing that the impeachment motion was in its final drafting stage and will be tabled by a parliamentarian from the opposition side.

The motion will be brought to Parliament by MPs Peter Kaluma (Homa Bay Town) and Junet Mohamed (Suna East), claimed former United Democratic Alliance (UDA) party secretary general Cleophas Malala.

Re-election prospects

If Gachagua is ousted, he argued, the move will affect the re-election prospects of Ruto, urging the President to block the process.

“The two MPs will start by impeaching your deputy but the same people will dethrone you come 2027,” Malala warned.

“I beseech you to call your house to order and don’t punish Gachagua. He suffered a lot, he was detained, embarrassed before his children because of you. Don’t be inhuman.”

And even as the DP’s team spoke, Tana River Senator Danson Mungatana said he had filed a censure motion in the Senate to discuss the DP’s character. Mungatana told reporters at Parliament buildings that Gachagua had breached the provisions of the law on how he should conduct himself in office and carry out his roles, accusing him of disregarding his oath of office.

“Article 260 of the Constitution … categorises the Deputy President as a state officer whose conduct and behaviour shall abide by the provisions of Article 75 of the Constitution … and the general leadership and integrity code for state officers, contained in the Leadership Act,” he said.

Makueni Senator Dan Maanzo, however, dismissed the censure motion, saying the Wiper party will only take part in a motion seeking to remove both the President and his deputy.

“There is no way you can accuse the DP of violating the Constitution and exclude the President. Ruto has been the greatest violator of the law, including ignoring court rulings,” Maanzo said.

Mungatana claimed that since assuming office, the DP has been making statements that are creating tensions and divisions among Kenyans.

“The public utterances made by the DP have marginalised sections of Kenyans, and created and continue to heighten tension among different ethnic communities in Kenya,” he claimed.

He added: “The DP can be cited in making reckless utterances that are likely to cause disharmony, like talk on employment opportunities in the public service, allocation of resources to the devolved units and incitement of a section of Kenyans to disobey lawful directives by some county governments.”

These incidents, he argued, amount to misconduct and contravene the provisions of Article 75 of the Constitution and thus demean the office he occupies.

A charged Gachagua told a congregation in Thika on Sunday that all the bickering in government stops at the Presidency and only Ruto would bring his forces to order.

He also asked Ruto to crack the whip and bring order in UDA and the Kenya Kwanza coalition at large, amid reports of incessant political in-fighting.

“It’s up to our boss [President Ruto] to decide what should be done, because he is our party leader,” he said.