The impeachment motion that is said to be orchestrated and planned by Senator James Orengo is one that has caught Kenya on surprise.
His reasons of wanting the DP impeached could be valid and possibly see him get what he is looking for depending depending on how he handles it. He has since ruled out the hand of opposition chief Raila Odinga into the matter.
Some of the many reasons that he wants the DP ruled unfit for office is that he’s not shown full support to the President’s fight against corruption as well as his continued naming in corruption scandal that are erupting every time.
National Assembly leader of majority Aden Duale has poured cold water on Siaya Senator James Orengo’s seemingly lofty plan of impeaching DP Ruto on grounds of misconduct.
Duale accused the vocal senator or marketing a cheap and worthless fishing expedition based on a witch-hunt.
Taking to his social media where he dismantled Senator Orengo’s statement with clinical precision, Duale outlined five reasons why the impeachment process is an exercise in futility.
For starters, according to article 145 and article 150 of the Kenyan law, the process to impeach a deputy president can only start in the National Assembly and not in the senate where Orengo sits.
And even if Orengo was to get a sitting member of parliament to start the process, the MP would require not less than a third of the entire National Assembly.
Currently with 349 members, such an MP would need the backing of 117 MPs a task that Duale says is improbable.
Additionally, for such a motion to advance from the second stage, the MP would require an ambitious two thirds support from the house. In figures, this means that not less than 233 sitting MPs would have to back the process up- another hurdle.
And even if the MP was so lucky to advance to the third stage which is where the senate comes in, a trial committee of eleven members would be formed to discuss the validity of the impeachment.
At the final stage if the motion for impeachment survived that long, it would require two thirds of the senate to support it a far cry as the Jubilee party which the DP belongs to enjoys a super majority.
Speaking on Citizen TV’s News Night show, Orengo cited corruption allegations and claims of insubordination as grounds on which a motion of no confidence should be introduced against the deputy president.
The Senate Minority leader said the DP’s castigation of government agencies mandated to fight corruption amounted to insubordination, which he said was gross misconduct.
He (Ruto) is not being investigated because we are not yet prepared to deal with grand corruption. I think he should be investigated,” said Orengo.