Sh5 Million Bribe Scandal: Gachagua Accuses MPs of Taking Bribes in Impeachment Plot
Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua has sensationally claimed that certain Members of Parliament (MPs) are being offered Sh5 million to support a motion to impeach him. Speaking at a roadside rally in Mwea, Gachagua alleged that both Kirinyaga Woman Representative Njeri Maina and Kirinyaga Senator James Murango were approached with bribes but rejected the offers.
“Njeri was told to take Sh5 million, but she refused. Senator James Murango was also offered cash, but he declined,” the Deputy President alleged, calling on his critics to stop the campaign to remove him from office.
Gachagua was adamant that the impeachment effort is an attack on his position as a representative of the Mt. Kenya region, from which he enjoys strong backing. “If he’s tired with Mt Kenya votes, let him tell us. We took him as our own and voted for him earnestly,” he stated, without directly naming who he was referring to. “He should stop telling the MPs to kick us out of office.”
The Deputy President was quick to remind the crowd of his legitimacy as an elected official, asserting, “I was elected by the people of Kenya, not by the president. Both the president and I were elected on one ticket, and you chose Ruto because I was there.”
The controversy has been further fueled by Kimilili MP Didmus Barasa, who has already publicly declared his intention to bring the impeachment motion to Parliament.
Barasa has been vocal about his confidence in the success of the motion, claiming that he has already surpassed the required number of signatures to initiate the process. According to Barasa, the impeachment motion has already attracted 242 signatures, well above the 116-signature threshold necessary to table it before the National Assembly. He further hinted that this number could increase over the weekend.
“We already have 242 MPs from across the political divide who have backed the motion. I have no doubt that more will join by the weekend,” Barasa boasted, signaling that the motion may receive bipartisan support in Parliament.
Under Kenyan law, a motion to impeach the Deputy President requires at least 116 MPs to sign in support, but it needs a minimum of 233 votes in the National Assembly to proceed to the Senate. If it makes it that far, the Senate will determine whether or not Gachagua will be removed from office.
While some Kenya Kwanza MPs support the motion, accusing Gachagua of exploiting recent youth-led demonstrations by Generation Z to undermine President William Ruto, others have come to the Deputy President’s defense. Nyeri Governor Mutahi Kahiga issued a strong warning, stating, “For every action, there will be a reaction.”
The impeachment saga has put Kenya’s political landscape on edge, raising questions about the stability of the current administration. With the possibility of a motion making its way to Parliament, Gachagua’s political future may be in jeopardy, though his staunch supporters in the Mt. Kenya region and other Kenya Kwanza affiliates remain fiercely loyal.
As the weekend approaches, all eyes are on Parliament, with the nation waiting to see if the alleged plot against the Deputy President will gain further momentum or be stopped in its tracks.
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Sh5 Million Bribe Scandal: Gachagua Accuses MPs of Taking Bribes in Impeachment Plot