Chaos
Chaos erupted in Ol-Kalou town in Nyandarua County as public participation exercise on the impeachment motion against Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua kicked off across the country.
Residents from Nyandarua County thronged Ol-Kalou Constituency NG-CDF offices next to the regional County Commissioner’s office as the process began. Still, shortly, chaos erupted after residents protested over the exercise they termed skewed.
They claimed that elected members of Parliament from the county who supported the impeachment of the Deputy President had interfered with the exercise, and hence residents suspected of plans to influence the National Assembly’s public submissions.
Police were called in to bring normalcy but members of the public stormed out of the hall chanting ‘no Rigathi, no Ruto’ during the exercise.
A National Assembly representative found herself on the receiving end as she was accused of allegedly acting and receiving directions from the MPs.Anti-riot police officers were deployed to the scene to contain the situation even as the residents continued with the protests.
However, residents agreed to take part in the exercise and called on the National Assembly to ensure their views were put into consideration as they expressed their support to have the impeachment motion against Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua dropped.
In the impeachment motion, Gachagua faces accusations of dividing Kenyans along ethnic lines, undermining the presidency, violating his oath of office, and contradicting the National Cohesion and Integration Act. Additional grounds for impeachment include allegedly amassing Sh 5.2 billion in property through corrupt means, inciting the public against directives from the Nairobi County government, gross misconduct, and bullying.
The National Assembly has a seven-day timeline, which expires on Tuesday, to decide on the special motion to impeach Gachagua before the Senate takes up the matter.