• Senator Okiya Omtatah openly admitted to voting against Rigathi Gachagua’s impeachment in the Senate
• Omtatah asserted that he believes the impeached deputy president should have been given an opportunity to defend himself
• The senator further stated that Gachagua does not stand a chance in court, as he doubts he would receive a ruling in his favour

Faith Chandianya, a journalist at TUKO.co.ke, brings over three years of experience covering politics and Current Affairs in Kenya

Busia County Senator Okiya Omtatah has explained why he voted against Rigathi Gachagua’s impeachment motion during the Senate trial on Thursday, October 17.

Why did Omtatah vote against Gachagua’s impeachment?

While speaking to the press, Omtatah openly admitted that he was among the few senators opposed to Gachagua’s removal from office.

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The Busia senator argued that the impeached deputy president should have been allowed an opportunity to defend himself in the Senate.

Omtatah further stated that he was not convinced Gachagua should be impeached based on the charges against him.

“Even me I had questions for him to clarify and I didn’t get the chance to ask them. I voted No to all the charges because I don’t believe that I can live with my conscious, condemning a man to such a sentence when I am not convinced above reasonable doubt,”Omtatah said.

When asked if the courts could rescue Gachagua, he expressed doubt that the impeached deputy president would receive a favorable ruling due to the alleged level of state capture in the country.

“He should try the courts. But given the level of state capture I don’t see him a very good chance. Let’s wait and see what happens,”Omtatah added.

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Source: TUKO.co.ke