NAIROBI, Kenya, Sep 29 – United Democratic Alliance (UDA) Secretary General Hassan Omar has hinted at plans to expel Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua from the party should his impeachment motion pass through the National Assembly.
Omar stated on Saturday that Gachagua’s continued membership of the ruling party will not be viable.
“Should that motion of impeachment against the Deputy President sail through, our immediate concern will be to eject him also as a member of the UDA party,” he said.
“You cannot [be found to be] grossly incompetent, undermining the constitution and national unity and still remain a ranking member of this party,” the senior official explained.
Omar accused Gachagua of fueling disunity, singling him out as a threat to national unity.
According to the former Mombasa Senator, Gachagua has been promoting ethnic politics, which may cause divisions across the nation.
“You cannot preach the gospel of ethnicity, malice, division, exclusion, and incite one group of people against another,” he stated.
Threat to national unity
The party’s National Treasurer Japheth Nyakundi echoed Omar’s remarks accusing Gachagua of excluding other regions and communities in his discourse.
“This is a matter of great concern. The Deputy President appears to be someone who is very tribal and unwilling to engage people from other regions. We want someone who is a symbol of national unity,” Nyakundi stated.
The embattled Deputy President has, however, pleaded with Members of Parliament to drop the impeachment bid that seeks to eject him from government.
“There are people who are misleading President William Ruto to fire me and appoint someone else. Are you not the ones who gave me this job? Who should decide: the Members of Parliament or the people?” he posed during one of his camapign stops in what has emerged as an aggressive camapign his the impeachment bid gained pace.
“The people of the Mountain never forget,” Gachagua, who has characterised his planned impeachment as the betrayal of Mt Kenya regon where he hails from, stated.
He intensified the rhetoric on Saturday as the motion surpassed the 117-signature threshold required for tabling before the National Assembly.
Kimilili Member of Parliament Didmus Barasa, who announced his intention to move the motion before the House on Thursday, said he had collected 242 signatures from lawmakers in support of the bid.
He subsequently reported securing additional signatures cummulatively adding up to 300.
Should the motion reach the National Assembly, Barasa, an ally of President William Ruto, will require 233 votes to pass.
Source: capitalfm
