The Kenyan Parliament has begun the final steps towards removing Vice President Ligati Gachagua.
Last week, Congress overwhelmingly approved his impeachment, setting the stage for a two-day trial in the Senate that will decide whether to remove him from office.
The vice president faces 11 charges, including corruption, inciting ethnic division, and undermining the government, all of which he denies.
The spat follows a recent falling out with President William Ruto, who has remained silent on the issue.
Gachagua’s trial is being held before a full Senate after the Senate abandoned the process of creating an 11-member commission to investigate the charges.
As the trial began, the vice president stood in front of the chamber until the charges were read out, pleading not guilty to each charge.
Analysts expect the vice president’s impeachment to be supported, as the ruling party’s senators are likely to receive support from the main opposition party members, just as they did in the House of Representatives’ impeachment vote.
Later on Wednesday, evidence will be given by Parliament against Gachagua, including witnesses, and will be heard for three hours, followed by a further two hours of cross-examination.
The trial will resume on Thursday, with Gachagua’s evidence and witnesses being heard until late in the afternoon.
At the end of the evening’s process, senators will debate the motion for about two hours before a vote is expected to take place on Thursday night at 8:30 pm local time.
The Senate could decide to extend proceedings until Friday, the last day the matter can legally be extended.
Gachagua’s motion to remove him from office must be approved by at least two-thirds of the 67 senators.
If that happens and his impeachment passes, he will be permanently barred from holding public office.
If the impeachment vote is passed, it is expected that it will be challenged in court.
The vice president has repeatedly tried and failed to stop the impeachment process, and at least 26 lawsuits have been filed so far.
On Tuesday, a judge ruled that the court would not intervene, saying the Senate should carry out its constitutional duties.
And just before proceedings began Wednesday, a three-judge tribunal also rejected a similar request.
The grounds for Mr Gachagua’s impeachment include accusations that he acquired assets worth 5.2 billion Kenyan shillings ($40 million, £31 million) in the two years since he became vice president, using corrupt means. It is said that it was acquired in
He has explained, including during his trial in the Diet, that most of the real estate in question belonged to his late brother.
The vice president is a wealthy businessman from the vote-rich central Mount Kenya region.
After Ruto named him his running mate in the August 2022 election, he rose from first-time lawmaker to number two in Kenya’s leadership in just five years.
At the time, he was fighting corruption charges in court, which were later dropped after he became vice president.
His impeachment trial has been the center of discussion for many Kenyans and the media in recent weeks.
Some see the high political drama the issue has sparked as a distraction from the economic concerns of the majority of Kenyans who suffer from high living costs.
In June, disgruntled Kenyans took to the streets in explosive and deadly protests over unpopular tax hikes, exposing deep rifts between Mr. Ruto and Mr. Gachagua.
Mr. Gachagua is now accused of undermining the work of security services following comments he made at the time criticizing intelligence services.
