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Chaos, tension mar public participation on Gachagua ouster bid

In Nairobi, public participation began at 8:00 am at the Bomas of Kenya

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by ROZANNE NTHAMBI

Events04 October 2024 - 18:32

In Summary


  • The National Assembly set up 47 centres across all counties in which Kenyans turned up to give their views on the DP's ouster motion.
  • Pictures seen by the Star showed a significant turnout across various centres in the country.


Public participation on the impeachment motion against Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua was held in various parts of the country on Friday.

The National Assembly set up 47 centres across all counties in which Kenyans turned up to give their views on the DP's ouster motion.

Pictures seen by the Star showed a significant turnout across various centres in the country.

In Nairobi, public participation began at 8:00 a.m. at the Bomas of Kenya with several members of parliament from Nairobi constituencies taking part in it.

While a section of participants express support for the impeachment motion, others opposed the ouster bid.

This saw some areas experience chaos as conflict groups battled each other in a bid to have their way and say.

In Nakuru, chaos erupted as residents expressed frustration with the process.

Some claimed that the papers issued for signing were photocopies without serial numbers, leading to doubts about the credibility of their submissions.

"How sure are we that our feedback will be considered when the papers we’re signing are photocopies?" Steven Kihara, a Nakuru resident, questioned.

Elsewhere, tensions escalated in Murang'a County, where pre-marked public participation papers were allegedly discovered.

This fueled suspicions that the exercise was being manipulated, with some Kenyans treating the public participation as a form of voting, unaware that the final decision lies with Parliament.

Angry residents destroyed public participation forms, declaring their unwavering support for the Deputy President.

In Nyeri, residents lit bonfires along the Nyeri-Nyahururu highway in protest of the motion.

They vowed to stand behind Deputy President Gachagua, dismissing the impeachment efforts as politically motivated.

Kiambu Social Hall also saw chaos as a section of residents voiced dissatisfaction with the manner in which the public participation process was being conducted.


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