Kenya’s parliament was set to vote on Tuesday on impeaching Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua in a political drama that has exposed a rift in the governing party.

Lawmakers have accused the 59-year-old deputy to President William Ruto of corruption, undermining the government and practising ethnically divisive politics, among a host of other charges.

At a press conference on Monday, Gachagua denied the accusations as “outrageous” and “sheer propaganda”, saying it was a scheme to hound him out of office.

Gachagua is a businessman from Kenya’s biggest tribe, the Kikuyu. He weathered previous corruption scandals to become deputy leader as Ruto’s running mate in a closely fought election in August 2022.

But in recent weeks, he has complained of being sidelined by his boss and been accused of supporting youth-led anti-government protests that broke out in June.

Political tensions have been running high since the sometimes deadly demonstrations erupted over unpopular tax hikes, exposing divisions between Gachagua and Ruto — with the deputy leader admitting the motion cannot proceed without Ruto’s approval.

Several MPs allied with Gachagua were summoned by police last month, accused of funding the protests.

No formal charges have been lodged by prosecutors and no judicial inquiry has been opened against Gachagua.

But lawmakers have listed 11 grounds for impeachment, including accusations that he amassed assets worth 5.2 billion shillings ($40 million) since the last election, despite an annual salary of just $93,000.

Among the listed assets was Kenya’s renowned Treetops Hotel, where Britain’s then-Princess Elizabeth was staying when she became queen.

Gachagua says his wealth has come entirely through legitimate business deals and an inheritance from his late brother.

He has warned his removal would stir discontent among his supporters, and insisted on the eve of the vote he would not resign.

“I will fight to the end,” he said.

– ‘Lacks political patience’ –

Kenyan lawmakers initiated the impeachment process on October 1, with 291 members of parliament backing the motion, well beyond the 117 minimum required.

Gachagua will take to the floor of parliament to defend himself from 5:00 pm (1400 GMT), before the motion’s sponsor — an MP from the ruling Kenya Kwanza coalition — is allowed a 30-minute rebuttal.

A long evening is expected, with lawmakers due to vote only after further debate in the lower house.

Two-thirds, or 233 MPs, must back the motion for it to pass. If passed, the motion will then move to the upper house, the Senate.

And if impeached, Gachagua would become the first deputy president to be removed in this way since the possibility was introduced in Kenya’s revised 2010 constitution.

Dismas Mokua, a Nairobi-based political risk analyst, told AFP that Gachagua had assumed he would co-lead with Ruto.

“He lacked the strategic political patience needed for the role, succumbing to the same fate as other deputies or vice presidents who sought quick, ‘instant coffee’ solutions,” he said.

While his potential impeachment was unlikely to cause organic protests, Mokua warned that “the probability of orchestrated unrest is very high”.

On Tuesday, Kenya’s parliament was scheduled to cast votes regarding the impeachment of Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua, unfolding a political saga that has revealed a division within the ruling party.

The 59-year-old Gachagua, who serves alongside President William Ruto, has faced accusations of corruption, destabilizing the government, and engaging in politics that exacerbate ethnic tensions, among various other allegations.

During a press conference held on Monday, Gachagua dismissed these claims as “outrageous” and “sheer propaganda,” asserting that they were part of a plot to force him out of his position.

Gachagua, a businessman from Kenya’s largest ethnic group, the Kikuyu, has previously navigated through corruption controversies to assume the role of deputy leader, partnering with Ruto in a tightly contested election in August 2022.

In the past few weeks, he has expressed frustration about being overlooked by his superior and has faced allegations of backing youth-led protests against the government that began in June.

Political tensions have escalated following the occasionally violent demonstrations sparked by unpopular tax increases, highlighting rifts between Gachagua and Ruto.

Last month, multiple MPs associated with Gachagua were called in by police, accused of financing the protests.

Prosecutors have not filed any official charges, nor has a court investigation been initiated against Gachagua.

However, legislators have cited 11 reasons for impeachment, including claims that he accumulated assets totaling 5.2 billion shillings ($40 million) since the previous election, despite earning an annual salary of only $93,000.

Included among these assets is Kenya’s famous Treetops Hotel, where the then-Princess Elizabeth of Britain was residing when she ascended to the throne.

Gachagua asserts that his wealth is solely the result of legitimate business transactions and an inheritance from his deceased brother.

He has cautioned that his ousting would incite dissatisfaction among his supporters.

On October 1, Kenyan legislators began the impeachment proceedings, with 291 parliament members endorsing the motion, significantly exceeding the required minimum of 117.

For the motion to succeed on Tuesday, it needs the approval of two-thirds of the National Assembly, which is the lower house. It would then be forwarded to the Senate, the upper house.

If Gachagua were to be impeached, he would be the first deputy president in Kenya to be ousted through this process since it was incorporated into the country’s amended constitution in 2010.

AFP

Uganda loses about $2.5 billion to corruption every year, equivalent to almost a quarter of its annual budget, the country’s anti-graft head told AFP on Monday.

Corruption is a huge issue in the East African nation, which is ranked a lowly 141 out of 180 countries on Transparency International’s corruption index.

While President Yoweri Museveni has repeatedly promised change, several major corruption scandals involving public officials have surfaced recently, triggering anti-graft demonstrations.

“The country loses about 9.144 trillion shillings ($2.5 billion) annually, money enough to cover 23 percent of this year’s national budget,” said Beti Kamya Turwomwe, head of the Inspectorate of Government.

“Losing such colossal sums that would have gone into delivery of services to the citizens is a wake-up call to all the citizens to fight the vice,” she said.

Turwomwe said her department had recovered just $2 million of the vanished money, which she blamed on a lack of funding and staffing.

Her comments follow the government body’s annual July-June report — based on research by international think tank the Government Transparency Institute — which was presented to parliament last week.

It found that the highest area of corruption was the environmental protection sector, estimating losses of 2.8 trillion shillings or $700 million a year.

A report summary shared online said the figures are based on a “variety of methods and data sources”, without being more specific.

“Overall, the estimates on cost of corruption are considered to be lower than actual in Uganda since some costs are in kind while others are non-measurable due to lack of data,” the summary said.

It found that utility costs, such as bribing officials for access to water and electricity, result in a loss of almost $130 million.

The report comes a week after Museveni pardoned a government official who had served five years of a 10-year sentence after swindling $1.2 million from government coffers, provoking outrage from civil society groups.

The Governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), Olayemi Cardoso has championed Africa’s voice on the global financial stage.

Cardoso took this step at the high-level Bretton Woods at 80 Forum held in New Hampshire, United States of America (USA) from September 26 to 27, 2024.

According to a post shared on the official X account of the CBN, the governor’s participation highlights Nigeria and Africa’s growing influence in the international economic dialogue.

The Apex Bank added that the event addressed issues such as investment, inclusive growth and climate resilience.

Other issues the event addressed are the evolving role of multilateral financial institutions in a rapidly changing world.

Three countries, Mali, Burkina Faso and Niger Republic have announced plans to launch a new biometric passport amid their exit from the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS).

The decision points towards the latest step in the growing alliance among the three West African nations who are currently being led by military juntas.

The military leaders of Mali, Burkina Faso, and Niger seized power through a series of coups between 2020 and 2023 and in January 2024, they collectively announced their plan to withdraw from the ECOWAS.

The three West African nations have now decided to form the Alliance of Sahel States which is expected to take place “in the coming days.”

They decided to take this step following sanctions imposed by other West African countries in an attempt to pressure the juntas into restoring democracy in the three nations.

However, the Alliance of Sahel States has stood their ground in resisting these calls, instead deciding to fortify the partnership among themselves.

“In the coming days, a new biometric passport of the alliance will be put into circulation with the aim of harmonising travel documents in our common area,” said Col Assimi Goïta, the leader of Mali’s junta and acting president of the Sahel alliance in a televised speech on Sunday evening.

Unknown gunmen shot dead seven members of the same family, including three children, in an execution-style killing in their home in rural South Africa, police said Thursday.

A five-year-old boy was among those killed in the shooting at a homestead in the eastern KwaZulu-Natal province late Wednesday, police said. The eldest victim was a woman aged about 55, they said.

The motive for the attack in the Highflats area, about 80 kilometres (50 miles) northwest of the coastal city of Durban, was not yet known.

“We are convinced as police that it was an execution. It was a planned murder,” provincial police commissioner Nhlanhla Mkhwanazi told reporters outside the house.

Some of the victims appeared to have been shot in the head while on the floor, he said. “There was a total of about 25 bullets that were used.”

The gunmen burst into the house as the family was watching television. They made one member of the family, who was outside the house, knock on the door and then opened fire once it was opened.

South Africa has one of the highest peacetime per capita homicide rates in the world.

Nearly 6,200 people were murdered in the country between April and June, according to police figures released in August.