D-Day for Gachagua in Senate as programme for impeachment motion hearing unveiled

Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua is a man on the cross, and the day of reckoning awaits him at the Senate starting Wednesday morning.

This after the High Court in Nairobi on Tuesday declined to bar the Senate from hearing the impeachment motion against the embattled DP.

At exactly 9am on Wednesday, the Senators are required to have all taken their seats at the chambers and will be going for a pre-hearing meeting that will take about one hour, according to a schedule released by the Clerk.

This session that will be held behind closed doors will be termed in court terms as a pre-trial hearing.

The Senators at 10am will then go into preliminaries that will entail recital of the mandate of the Senate, rules of procedure and hearing programme.

This will also include introduction of lawmakers representing the National Assembly and their counsel, if any, and finally introduction of the Deputy President and his counsel.

The National Assembly will be represented by Kibwezi West MP Mwengi Eckomas Mutuse, who is the mover of the impeachment motion, Rarieda lawmaker Otiende Amollo, JLAC Chairperson George Murugara, Homa Bay Town legislator Peter Kaluma, as well as his Kanduyi counterpart John Makali.

From 10.30 to 11am, Clerk of the Senate Jeremiah Nyegenye will read the charges against the Deputy President and then put the question to him whether he is guilty or not. Thereafter, the two sides will each be given half an hour to make their opening statements.

After the opening statements then comes the marathon hearings starting with the National Assembly, who will have 3 hours to prosecute Gachagua, and two hours for the Deputy President to cross examine his accusers.

At 7.30pm, the Senate will adjourn awaiting Thursday, the final day of hearing the impeachment motion.