Embu Boda Boda Operators Stage Demos to Protest Court Ruling on Gachagua Impeachment

Embu Boda Boda Operators Stage Demos to Protest Court Ruling on Gachagua Impeachment

EMBU, Kenya — A section of boda boda operators and supporters of former Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua took to the streets of Embu Town on Tuesday, June 9, to protest the High Court ruling that upheld his impeachment, intensifying political reactions following the landmark judgment.

The demonstrations, which attracted dozens of riders and residents, saw participants march through key streets in the town while expressing dissatisfaction with the court’s decision. The protesters argued that the judgment contained contradictions, particularly after the court found that Gachagua’s constitutional rights had been violated during the Senate impeachment proceedings but still upheld his removal from office.

The demonstrations were led by local politician James Ireri, who accused the judiciary of failing to fully enforce its own findings regarding the former Deputy President’s right to a fair hearing.

Carrying placards and chanting slogans in support of Gachagua, the demonstrators maintained that the Senate’s actions should have been nullified once the court established that procedural violations had occurred during the impeachment process.

“I want to say that the ruling that was issued by the High Court yesterday is a misleading and confusing ruling,” Ireri told journalists during the protests.

“On one hand, the High Court said the rights of the former Deputy President were infringed, and that is reason enough to quash the ruling against Gachagua. The Senate did wrong, and they should admit they did wrong,” he added.

The protests reflect the growing political debate surrounding the High Court decision, which has generated mixed reactions across different regions of the country.

While supporters of the ruling have praised the judiciary for affirming Parliament’s constitutional authority to impeach senior state officers, Gachagua’s allies argue that the court should have invalidated the entire process after finding that his right to a fair hearing had been violated.

During the demonstrations, Ireri also announced plans to initiate a campaign to recall Embu Senator Alexander Munyi Mundigi, accusing him of betraying voters by supporting the impeachment motion in the Senate.

“Since the senators did not do the right thing, we have decided as the people of Embu to begin the process of recalling our senator because he voted in favour of Gachagua’s impeachment,” Ireri stated.

The recall threat is expected to fuel further political debate within Embu County, where Gachagua continues to enjoy considerable support among sections of the electorate.

The demonstrations remained largely peaceful, with business activities continuing normally in most parts of Embu Town as police monitored the situation.

The protests come a day after the High Court delivered a highly anticipated ruling on several consolidated petitions challenging Gachagua’s impeachment.

In the judgment delivered on Monday, June 8, a three-judge bench comprising Justices Eric Ogolla, Anthony Mrima and Fridah Mugambi upheld the Senate’s decision to remove Gachagua from office.

The judges ruled that both the National Assembly and the Senate acted within the law and followed constitutional procedures during the impeachment proceedings.

According to the court, Parliament retained the authority to conduct the impeachment process and had met the legal requirements necessary to consider and determine the charges against the former Deputy President.

The court also found that the National Assembly had conducted sufficient public participation and adhered to the relevant parliamentary procedures.

However, the judges reached a different conclusion regarding Gachagua’s right to a fair hearing.

The bench determined that the Senate violated his constitutional rights after declining to grant an adjournment request despite his absence from part of the proceedings.

According to the judgment, the decision limited his ability to fully defend himself and therefore amounted to a violation of his rights under the Constitution.

As a result, the court awarded Gachagua KSh50 million in damages, to be paid by the Senate.

Despite acknowledging the violation, the judges ruled that the procedural shortcomings were not substantial enough to invalidate the impeachment itself, a finding that has become the central point of contention among Gachagua’s supporters.

The former Deputy President has already announced plans to challenge the ruling at the Court of Appeal, insisting that the judgment contains legal contradictions and that the impeachment process should have been declared null and void.

With an appeal now looming and political tensions continuing to rise, the battle over Gachagua’s impeachment appears far from over, setting the stage for another major legal and political showdown in the months ahead.

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Embu Boda Boda Operators Stage Demos to Protest Court Ruling on Gachagua Impeachment