The Folly of "Coronation": Deconstructing the Myth of Rigathi Gachagua's Impeachment as a Political Ascent

 The Folly of "Coronation": Deconstructing the Myth of Rigathi Gachagua's Impeachment as a Political Ascent

Nderi Ndiani's recent Daily Nation article, "Impeachment has turned into coronation for Rigathi," presents a deeply flawed and dangerously misleading narrative, seeking to sanitize and even celebrate the conduct that led to the impeachment proceedings against the former Deputy President, Rigathi Gachagua. Such a perspective not only distorts the fundamental principles of accountability enshrined in our Constitution but also disrespects the very essence of national leadership and cohesion. To suggest that impeachment, a grave constitutional measure, is a mere stepping stone to political coronation, particularly for an individual whose actions demonstrably undermined his office, is to fundamentally misunderstand the purpose of governance and the will of the Kenyan people.

                                                       Rigathi Gachagua facing Mt. Kenya

  The Constitution of Kenya, a document born from the aspirations of a nation yearning for good governance, meticulously outlines mechanisms for accountability. It envisaged a situation where a wayward President or Deputy President, through their conduct, could be separated from the government. This is not a punitive witch-hunt but a necessary safeguard to protect the integrity of public office and the stability of the nation. The Deputy President, as the principal assistant to the President, is constitutionally obligated to be in sync with the agenda of the executive. When this foundational relationship becomes untenable, the honorable path, as so eloquently exemplified by Jaramogi Oginga Odinga's resignation from Jomo Kenyatta's government when "the centre could not hold," is to step aside. To frame impeachment as a political anointing ignores this crucial constitutional design and historical precedent.

It is profoundly regrettable and indeed quite misleading for Nderi Ndiani to opine that the impeachment of Rigathi Gachagua was merely a structured attempt to annihilate him from politics. This is far from the truth. There were, and remain, ample and well-documented reasons that necessitated the impeachment motion on the floor of our National Assembly, subsequently ratified by the Senate. To deny these reasons is to wilfully ignore the facts and the public discourse that surrounded them.

Consider, for instance, the former Deputy President's startling assertion that those who did not vote for the Kenya Kwanza coalition did not deserve any form of attention because they were "not shareholders." This dangerous rhetoric, only a hair's breadth away from calling for the balkanization of communities, is anathema to national unity. While leaders in Kenya inevitably hail from specific communities, once one ascends to a national office like the Deputy Presidency, the mandate shifts to representing all Kenyans. To constantly vouch for one's tribesmen at the expense of the rest of the nation is not only divisive but a betrayal of the oath of office.

Furthermore, a state officer incapable of keeping classified information is a dangerous weapon in the hands of the nation's adversaries. When Rigathi Gachagua called a press conference in Mombasa to publicly discredit Kenya's National Intelligence Service, it was the lowest a state officer could stoop. This reckless act exposed Kenya to international ridicule and created serious security lapses, both internal and external. Such conduct is not a matter of political disagreement; it is a fundamental breach of trust and a direct threat to national security.

His demonstrable intervention in the KEMSA tendering process, clearly laid out for the public to see, highlighted an alarming appetite for the public purse. The evidence of his disregard for due process and transparency was compelling. It is, therefore, not only regrettable but utterly misleading for the author of this article to claim that there was no basis for the impeachment. To suggest otherwise is to insult the intelligence of Kenyans who witnessed these events unfold.

Nderi Ndiani's assertion that Rigathi Gachagua is "disciplined and an astute debater" is, frankly, laughable. All and sundry know that "discipline" can never be mentioned in the same sentence as Rigathi Gachagua. He is the hallmark of careless and reckless statements. Kenyans have not forgotten how he shamelessly belittled the fourth President of this country, Uhuru Kenyatta, during the 2022 campaigns, describing him in unprintable words and depicting him as unqualified to lead. He went even further, abusing and demeaning the country's matriarch, Mama Ngina Kenyatta, a respectable woman who commands immense reverence as the founding mother of this nation.

The nation also bore witness to Rigathi Gachagua, on the otherwise solemn occasion of President William Ruto's inauguration, washing dirty linen in public, projecting the outgoing government as incompetent and "fake" before the entire world. This was not astute debating; it was a profound display of a leader who lacks control, one who cannot understand the gravity of seasons, and one who speaks merely to entertain an audience regardless of the apparent harm to the very soul of the nation.

When Nderi Ndiani opines that the then Deputy President was "mocked for his gaffe" during the inauguration ceremony, one is compelled to ask why a national leader with such immense responsibility bestowed upon him would fail in repeating simple words as directed by the Registrar of Judiciary. This lapse can only be attributed to one of two things: either he was excessively excited, a clear confirmation that he cannot handle a position of leadership, or he simply lacks the mental acumen to comprehend simple instructions. Neither scenario speaks to discipline or astute leadership.

Finally, the author's claim that the impeachment has "catapulted Rigathi Gachagua to national limelight and especially to the helm of Kikuyu's kingpin" is a tragic testament to the sophistries, incitement, and cantankerous nature of the former Deputy President. This was, unfortunately, an expected outcome of his deliberate strategy. He has essentially "gone berserk," consumed by bitterness and glaring hatred towards the President. Against all sense of decorum, he has gone ahead to paint the President in the most heinous manner he can conjure, making the incitement of his community his hallmark. The faking of abductions of his accomplices, such as the recent self-abduction of the Juja MP, is precisely the kind of desperate fabrication the former DP is employing to discredit the government.

However, lies have very short legs, and the fabrications of Rigathi Gachagua will soon come to an end. You cannot claim to lead a nation on the premise of projecting your ethnic group as the most superior and the only one capable of making Kenya a better country. The divisive picture that Rigathi Gachagua is painting – that if his own community is not part of leadership then Kenya is doomed – is not only false but deeply dangerous. It must be known to all that Kenya belongs to all of us who live in it, and we must tolerate and collaborate with each other to build a prosperous country. The impeachment was not a coronation; it was a necessary constitutional action to address conduct unbecoming of a national leader. To spin it otherwise is to undermine the very foundations of our nation.

 

Ndungata