Kenya: Deputy president Gachagua pleads not guilty in Senate impeachment trial

Kenya's Vice President has two days to convince senators and save his position.

Rigathi Gachagua who faces impeachment, pleaded not guilty in a senate hearing Wednesday (Oct. 16) to all allegations including corruption, inciting ethnic divisions and support for historic anti-government protests.

Gachagua’s legal team have Wednesday (Oct. 16) and Thursday (Oct. 17) to cross-examine witnesses, and the senate will vote Thursday evening.

Court rulings this week allowed the parliament and senate to proceed with the impeachment debate, despite concerns over irregularities raised by the deputy president’s lawyers.

The 59-year-old politician has called the allegations politically motivated.

Supporters of his and opponents clashed in early October at public forums over the impeachment motion against him, which was introduced in parliament by the ruling alliance.

The case highlights the friction between Gachagua and President William Ruto — something that Ruto once vowed to avoid after his past troubled relationship as deputy to Kenya’s previous president, Uhuru Kenyatta.

Gachagua could be the first sitting deputy president impeached in Kenya's history.