Kenya’s impeached Deputy President, Rigathi Gachagua, has lashed out at President William Ruto, calling him “vicious” and cruel, while warning that his life may be in danger.
Gachagua, who was removed from office after the Senate voted to impeach him on five out of eleven charges, spoke to reporters on Sunday after being discharged from a Nairobi hospital.
Gachagua, 59, claimed that his security detail had been withdrawn and his staff placed on compulsory leave, suggesting that past threats to his life were linked to political retaliation. “If anything happens to me or my family, President William Ruto must be held accountable,” he stated.
The impeachment charges against Gachagua include accusations of threatening judges and engaging in ethnically divisive politics. However, he was cleared of corruption and money-laundering charges.
Despite his removal, a High Court has temporarily halted the process of replacing him with Interior Minister Kithure Kindiki, pending a hearing scheduled for Tuesday.
Gachagua criticized Ruto for allegedly violating the court order and withdrawing his security, despite him still holding the office of deputy president. “At his lowest moment in life, struggling to stay alive, the president unleashes such viciousness,” Gachagua said, referring to his recent hospitalization for severe chest pains.
President Ruto has not yet publicly commented on the impeachment proceedings. This marks the first time a Kenyan deputy president has been
