Kenya's Senate Speaker Amason Kingi postponed the impeachment proceedings against Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua until Saturday due to Gachagua's illness.
His lawyer, Paul Muite, informed the Senate on Thursday afternoon that Gachagua had been hospitalized with severe chest pains at Karen Hospital in Nairobi. Gachagua was initially scheduled to testify at 2:30 pm on Thursday, but his lawyer indicated his condition prevented his attendance.
As a result, speaker Kingi adjourned the trial until 5 pm, expecting Gachagua might testify then. However, Muite returned at 5 pm, stating that Gachagua remained unwell. He requested a further postponement until the following Tuesday, when Gachagua was expected to recover sufficiently to appear.
The impeachment motion, passed by Kenya's National Assembly last week, charges Gachagua with 11 offenses, including corruption, undermining the government, and inciting ethnic hatred.
Gachagua's legal team described the charges as false and baseless, while witnesses, such as lawmaker Mwengi Mutuse, accused the deputy president of violating the constitution.
The senate needs a two-thirds majority to remove Gachagua from office. If dismissed, the court will decide on October 29 whether President Ruto can appoint a new deputy president.