By Evelyne Musambi
The senate in Kenya briefly adjourned an impeachment hearing for the deputy president Thursday after he was hospitalized over an illness, according to his lawyers.
Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua pleaded not guilty Wednesday to 11 charges of impeachment, and was expected to be cross-examined by parliament lawyers in the afternoon. The senate is scheduled to vote on the impeachment motion on Thursday evening.
Gachagua faces allegations that include corruption, inciting ethnic divisions and support for anti-government protests that saw demonstrators storm the country’s parliament. It is the first time a sitting deputy president is facing impeachment in Kenya.
His lawyer, Paul Muite, said doctors had told him that the deputy president was suffering from “intense chest pains” and needed “complete rest.”
The lawyers had cross-examined witnesses presented by parliament the previous day, including the legislator who moved the impeachment motion and the anticorruption agency’s boss. Earlier Thursday Gachagua’s legal team asked
You’ve reached your free article limit
Subscribe to enjoy unlimited access to trusted journalism. Cancel anytime.
Subscribe nowNeed help? molokom@insidepolitic.co.za
