Intrigues that sealed Rigathi Gachagua's impeachment

It is one year since Rigathi Gachagua lost the position of Deputy President after the Senate, on 17 October, upheld his impeachment by the National Assembly.

Before his removal, several meetings were held, including between him and President William Ruto, as clergy from the Mt Kenya region unsuccessfully pleaded with the President to intervene.

Gachagua was impeached by the National Assembly on October 9 in a motion supported by 282 MPs, with 44 voting against it.

Even after MPs had voted to impeach him, The Standard has established, several meetings were convened in an effort to stop the matter from proceeding to the Senate. One such meeting between President Ruto and his embattled deputy reportedly took place at a building near State House, commonly known as 209, according to sources.

The meeting, held on 11 October, two days before the Senate proceedings, was meant to persuade the Deputy President to resign. In return, he was to be allowed to enjoy the retirement perks accorded to former Deputy Presidents under the Retirement Benefits (Deputy President and Designated State Officers) Act.

The benefits include a monthly pension equal to 80 per cent of the holder’s last monthly salary while in office, a lump-sum payment on retirement equivalent to one year’s salary for each term served, and two saloon vehicles (engine capacity not exceeding 2000cc), replaceable once every four years.

Sources privy to the meeting, corroborating Gachagua’s own narration of the intrigues leading to his ouster, said that beyond the retirement benefits, Gachagua was also to receive Sh1.5 billion from the government to offset loans he had allegedly taken during his tenure.

“Gachagua was open to the deal but demanded Sh5 billion, which the President found unreasonable. The former Deputy President insisted that he had taken substantial loans to develop his three hotels and from a Sacco in Meru, and therefore the Sh1.5 billion offer was insufficient,” a source said.

For Gachagua to qualify for the perks, Ruto was to grant him a six-month leave, which would allow him to meet the two-and-a-half-year threshold required to be eligible for retirement benefits.

“When the President stood firm on the Sh1.5 billion offer, Gachagua asked for time until Monday to make up his mind. However, the President was aware that Gachagua, through his allies, had sought court orders to stop the Senate proceedings. The President insisted the matter be concluded before Sunday, 13 October, or the impeachment process would continue in full,” another source said.

On Sunday, the Deputy President reportedly called his boss, informing him that he had decided to step down and requested the resignation letter for signing. But when lawyers delivered the letter, one of Gachagua’s trusted allies allegedly tore it up, insisting the DP would not resign, claiming he would serve until 2027 “since the United Democratic Alliance (UDA) administration had been prophesied into power”.

“On Monday morning (14 October), Gachagua revisited the resignation issue, but forces within his camp prevailed upon him to stay put. That is how he never resigned,” another source claimed.

According to Gachagua, Ruto had offered between Sh1.5 billion and Sh2 billion for him to resign, a move which would have allowed him to contest for public office in future.

Gachagua said Ruto told him to his face that he could no longer work with him and urged him to “step down honourably”.

“The President asked me to step down, promising Sh2 billion for a comfortable retirement with proper security and a good salary. He also said I could run for office later. But I questioned his intentions,” he said during a February 4 interview with Mulembe, Vuuka and Sulwe FM stations.

He added that some MPs allied to him encouraged him to resign to create room for a political comeback in 2027, but he rejected their advice.

“He called me and said he would not work with me, threatening to impeach me if I refused to resign. He assured me I would go home with my retirement package and that he would give me between Sh1.5 and Sh2 billion. I told him I am not interested,” Gachagua said.

He further claimed that on more than one occasion, the President sent a senior government official to convince him to resign in exchange for an attractive retirement package.

“He sent a very senior officer on the day the National Assembly resolved to impeach me,” he added.

Gachagua further alleged that the next day, the same officer was directed by the President to facilitate a face-to-face meeting.

“He suggested I go to State House for talks, but I refused. He then proposed we meet at a city hotel, which I also declined. Eventually, we met along State House Road in one of the National Intelligence Service safe houses,” Gachagua said.

He claimed that on the day he appeared before the Senate for his impeachment hearing, the officer was again dispatched by the President with another offer, which he declined.

Gachagua claimed that MPs who voted for his impeachment were each paid Sh500,000, while senators received as much as Sh10 million.

Aside from the meeting between Ruto and Gachagua, Nyeri Governor Mutahi Kahiga also reportedly reached out to ODM leader Raila Odinga, asking him to use his influence to persuade opposition MPs to reject the impeachment motion. Raila, however, did not commit.

“I reached out to Raila the Sunday before Parliament debated Gachagua’s impeachment... He picked up after one ring. I told Gachagua I had Raila on the line, and they spoke. We were desperate. Baba couldn’t commit to directing MPs to vote in any particular way. Instead, he said they should vote with their conscience,” Kahiga wrote after Raila’s death on 15 October.

A group of five bishops from Mt Kenya were also dispatched by one of Gachagua’s close allies to plead with the President to abandon the ouster plan.

“Upon arrival, they were played an audio of Gachagua boasting that he was the one running the administration and that he was untouchable. The clerics were left speechless,” said an MP allied to the President.

Gachagua is said to have made the remarks on 30 August while on a tour of Kisumu, during a private meeting with one of the President’s allies. The hotel room where the meeting took place had reportedly been bugged.