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Senate Speaker Amason Kingi suspended the session on Thursday, October 17, 2024, following reports that Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua had fallen ill just before his scheduled appearance.

Gachagua was expected to testify in the ongoing impeachment proceedings against him. However, moments before he was expected at the chamber, his lawyer, Paul Muite, announced that the second in command had been hospitalised.

Kingi announced this during the second day of the impeachment hearing, stating that the session would be paused until later in the day.

“Having considered the two sides, my directions are as follows: we will suspend this sitting and resume exactly at 5:00 PM. So, we expect the DP then to take the witness stand at 5:00 PM. This is a time-bound process, unfortunately. It is so ordered,” Kingi stated.

Kingi further clarified that the Senate had provisions in place for situations where the Deputy President may not be able to appear on time.

“Rule 11 overrules the procedure where the DP fails to appear; the Senate can proceed or, for exceptional reasons to be recorded, permit a late appearance before the Senate of the DP,” he added.

The Senate had gathered to deliberate on charges related to Gachagua’s conduct in office as discussed and passed by the National Assembly. As of now, the details surrounding his health remain unclear, but the Senate is set to reconvene later in the day, awaiting his testimony.