Nairobi Senator Edwin Sifuna has said that attempts to impeach President William Ruto would not succeed under the current political configuration.

Speaking during a podcast interview uploaded on YouTube on Sunday, June 14, 2026, Sifuna argued that the opposition lacks the parliamentary numbers required to initiate and sustain such a motion.

He dismissed growing public calls for impeachment, saying the idea is not practically feasible without a significant majority in the National Assembly.

Sifuna noted that an impeachment process begins in the National Assembly, where at least one-third of MPs are required to support a motion before it can proceed to a full vote.

He argued that, given the current political landscape, assembling such numbers is highly unlikely.

The senator, who is associated with the Linda Mwananchi movement, claimed that the opposition grouping currently has fewer than 20 MPs aligned to its cause, making any impeachment push unrealistic.

According to him, even initiating an impeachment motion would require over 100 Members of Parliament, a threshold he said the opposition cannot currently meet.

“Huwa naona watu wanakuja hapa kusema ati Sifuna unalalamika kwa social media, si you impeach Ruto. We actually less than 20 MPs in our Linda Mwananchi movement. We are not complaining, we are just painting the right picture for you. Kuleta impeachment motion tu, you need a third of the National Assembly, which is over 100 MPs,” Sifuna said.

He added that the fragmentation of opposition parties and the absorption of former opposition lawmakers into the Kenya Kwanza administration has significantly weakened any coordinated parliamentary strategy.

“When ODM was still ODM, because all our MPs voted against the finance bill 2024 before the party was co-opted into government, it would have been easy. Right now, unatoa wapi hizo numbers?” he said.

Warning against political fantasy

Sifuna cautioned against what he described as “political fantasy”, saying repeated failed attempts to impeach a sitting president could instead strengthen the incumbent politically.

He argued that unsuccessful motions often end up reinforcing the authority of the targeted leader rather than weakening it.

“That is why nasema hii kitu sio ya kusema tu ati tujaribu hata if it fails. Hakuna, because every attempt unawinda mnyama and you don’t get, you are actually strengthening that person. So ile kitu sisi tunataka kuwaomba, ni when we speak about these things, we are painting for you a picture so that you can make corrections during the next elections. Impeachment lazima ianzie National Assembly,” Sifuna said.

Instead of impeachment efforts, Sifuna urged political actors to focus on building stronger electoral numbers ahead of the 2027 General Election.

He said real political change, including leadership transitions, would only be possible through the ballot and not parliamentary motions under current conditions.

Senate role in impeachment process

The senator further noted that the Senate only becomes involved after the National Assembly successfully passes an impeachment motion, reinforcing his argument that the lower house remains the most critical stage in the process.

“Huko national assembly kupata 100 plus MPs saa hii wenye wanaweza sign hiyo motion alafu tupate two thirds majority ya kumtoa, unatoa wapi? Senate pale sisi huwa tunakaa tunangojea bunge wafanye,” he noted.

Without sufficient support in the National Assembly, he concluded, impeachment remains politically unattainable at this time.

Caleb Amisi’s impeachment push

This comes at a time when Saboti MP Caleb Amisi is pushing an impeachment motion against the head of state, with the legislator using his X account to collect signatures, which he says is a prerequisite for the process.

Kirinyaga Woman Representative Njeri has, however, expressed doubt that the push will amount to anything significant.

According to her, for the impeachment motion to see the light of day, it would require substantial support from both Houses of Parliament. She argued that the initiative might not even garner the support of 50 MPs, far below the one-third threshold required under the Constitution of Kenya.

The push to impeach President Ruto stems from recent efforts by the government to allow an Ebola quarantine facility to be established at Nanyuki Air Base, a move that has sparked political debate and criticism from sections of the opposition.