Kenyan Newspapers Review: Ichung’wah To Be Named Interior CS If Gachagua Is Impeached, Sources Say

On Monday, September 23, the national dailies widely reported on the ongoing debate about plans to impeach Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua.

The dailies also reported on the death of nominated Kiambu county MCA Ezra Kabuga.

1. Daily Nation

The paper reported on Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua's warning to President Willaim Ruto over plans to impeach him.

Speaking at a church service at the Pentecostal Evangelistic Fellowship of Africa (PEFA) Church in Thika Town on Sunday, September 22, Gachagua asked Ruto to keep his house in order amid divisions in the UDA party.

Gachagua told Ruto to shun betrayal politics and keep his promise of ensuring his deputy is not humiliated, adding that if he cannot keep that promise, then he will not be trusted to keep any other.

“I would like to ask my boss, President William Ruto, to be cautious and do the right thing, and let’s keep our house together. Let us not be disruptive and let us not re-introduce the politics of betrayal,” Gachagua cautioned.

2. The Standard

The paper reported on the revelation that the impeachment motion against Gachagua will be tabled in Parliament next week.

Former UDA secretary-general Cleophas Malala said those pushing for Gachagua's ouster had assigned two ODM MPs with the task of spearheading the impeachment motion.

Malala claimed Gachagua's critics have selected Junet Mohamed and Peter Kaluma to be the face of the impeachment motion.

"The same people who are moving that motion, and I am being told that they have selected Junet Mohamed and Peter Kaluma, will start by removing your deputy, but I assure you those same people will remove you as president," Malala said.

Githunguri MP Gathoni Wamuchomba backed Malala's sentiments, saying an impeachment motion against Gachagua will be tabled next week.

She urged the president to crack the whip and end the political friction with his deputy, noting that Gachagua's loyalty to him has even seen the DP arrested.

"I cannot imagine it is only two years and we have forgotten about the pain we went through looking for power. and now we are chest-thumping, plotting how to impeach the deputy president," Wamuchomba said.

3. People Daily

The publication reported on how allies of President William Ruto will benefit from Gachagua's impeachment.

If an impeachment motion against Gachagua passes, Interior Cabinet Secretary Kithure Kindiki, National Assembly Majority Leader Kimani Ichungwa, and Kiharu MP Ndindi Nyoro will be the biggest winners.

According to sources, critics of Gachagua are only waiting for President William Ruto to endorse the impeachment motion against his deputy.

Kindiki has emerged as a potential deputy, with state operatives working to promote him as a more effective assistant to the president than the current one.

In the changes, Ichung’wah will be appointed to replace Kindiki in the Interior docket, while Ndindi will be elevated to take over from the Kikuyu MP in the National Assembly leadership.

“The President is weighing options should he sanction the anti DP motion. Troops have been assigned to sell Interior Cabinet Secretary Kithure Kindiki as the best suited replacement,” said the source.

4. Taifa Leo

The Kiswahili publication reported on the death of nominated Kiambu MCA Ezra Kabuga Kihara following a horrible accident along Thika Road on Sunday, September 22.

According to police, the lawmaker's Subaru Forester car collided with a lorry from behind and caught fire. Kihara died on the spot.

Images of the early morning accident have since emerged online, although it is unclear what caused Kihara's vehicle to go up in flames.

Kiambu governor Kimani Wamatangi revealed that the accident happened around the Mang'u High School area.

The governor described the late Kabuga as a vibrant and promising young leader whose commitment and passion for serving the people of Kiambu was evident in every aspect of his work.

Proofreading by Mercy Nyambura Guthua, journalist and copy editor at TUKO.co.ke