Kenya’s Senate will vote on whether Vice President Rigathi Gachagua will be removed from office at the end of the second day of his impeachment trial.
The vice president will defend himself Thursday before lawmakers in the Senate, two-thirds of whom must impeach him.
He faces 11 charges, including corruption, inciting ethnic division and undermining the government.
As the trial began Wednesday, the vice president pleaded not guilty to each of the charges as read in the House.
An overwhelming majority of lawmakers in the National Assembly voted in favor of his impeachment last week, paving the way for the Senate trial.
Mwengi Mutuse, the lawmaker who tabled the motion, appeared as a witness in the Senate on Wednesday and accused Gachagua of violating the constitution as he went through the various grounds of his motion.
He framed the allegations against the vice president as “extraordinary” misconduct that would merit impeachment, such as Gachagua’s comments that the government was like a stock company and suggesting that only those who voted for the government would benefit in terms of development and services.
He also accused the vice president of acquiring enormous wealth through corrupt dealings, among other things.
The lawmaker was then tested under cross-examination and at one point appeared to have difficulty defending his evidence.
A clip of President William Ruto’s speech at a rally was played in the Senate, where he called residents of Murang’a, central Kenya, “major shareholders” in the government.
Gachagua’s lawyers asked Mutuse how the vice president could be blamed for “assisting” the president
Pressure was also put on lawmakers to justify the basis for valuing the wealth the vice president is said to have acquired.
He is accused of acquiring assets worth 5.2 billion Kenyan shillings ($40 million; £31 million) in the two years since he became vice president – allegedly obtained through corrupt means.
He has said that most of the property in question came from his late brother’s estate.
During the trial, one of Gachagua’s lawyers, Elisha Ongoya, said all allegations against the vice president were “false, ridiculous or embarrassing.”
The trial lasted all day and ended just before midnight, with one more witness brought in.
It continues Thursday morning, with the vice president, who is the only witness on his side, defending himself for most of the day.
At the end of the trial, senators will debate the motion for about two hours in the evening and then vote.
The vice president is a wealthy businessman from the vote-rich central region of Mount Kenya.
In just five years, he rose from being its first MP to number two in Kenya’s leadership after Ruto picked him as his running mate in the August 2022 elections.
His impeachment trial, which follows a recent feud with the president, has dominated the discussions of many Kenyans and the media in recent weeks.
Payments disappeared in June as many disgruntled Kenyans took to the streets in deadly protests against unpopular tax hikes.
Many observers expect his ouster to proceed if opposition members support the ruling coalition, as they did in the National Assembly.
Gachagua is expected to challenge the decision if it is adopted.
Kenyan media have already reported on his possible replacements, citing the names of two sitting governors and two ministers.
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