Kenya's Senate began debating the impeachment of Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua, shortly after a court in Nairobi ruled that the proceedings were constitutional.

The lower house of parliament, the National Assembly, had last week voted overwhelmingly to impeach Gachagua on 11 separate charges relating to corruption and abuse of office.

His charges include threatening a judge who was hearing a case against him.

Gachagua, 59, has denied the allegations and declared his intention to remain at his post until the Senate rules on his removal.

Should lawmakers vote for his ouster, he would be the first Kenya leader impeached since the process was added to the country's constitution in 2010.

Gachagua complains he is being sidelined

A powerful businessman, Gachagua had managed to ride out previous scandals and corruption allegations before being named President William Ruto's running mate in 2022.

Recently, however, he has complained about being sidelined by the president, whose allies have accused Gachagua of supporting the massive youth-led protests against proposed tax hikes that erupted across the country in June.

"I am now seen as a spent cartridge," he said, in reference to his role in the Ruto administration. "They want to discard me and appoint someone else, disregarding the will of Kenyans."

More than two-thirds of the 349-member National Assembly voted to impeach Gachagua, but the next stage will involve lawmakers in the Senate examining each separate charge, which could end up being a lengthy process.

es/ab (AFP, Reuters)