The success of the process also depended heavily on Ruto’s new alliance with his bitter enemy from the last election, Odinga, whose MPs and senators overwhelmingly voted to remove Gachagua from office.
The National Assembly also selected Odinga’s close ally, Senior Counsel James Orenga, to lead its legal team during the impeachment trial.
Undoubtedly, there was a conflict of interest here. But this may be a poisoned chalice for Ruth.
It is unpredictable how long the fun lasts. But this is typical of Kenya’s ever-changing political landscape.
So far, Ruto has appointed four senior members of Odinga’s party to the cabinet and is backing him for the influential post of next African Union Commission chairman.
The two men have a long political history as allies or rivals.
In the 2002 presidential election, Ruto supported Kenyatta, while Odinga was supported by Kibaki, who won.
Five years later, allegiances shifted, with Ruto backing Odinga and Kenyatta backing incumbent Kibaki in a bitter 2007 election that erupted into violence across the country.
Ruto and Kenyatta were later indicted by the International Criminal Court for their alleged role in the hostilities when they supported opposing sides.
But in the next two elections in 2013 and 2017, they ran on a joint ticket and defeated Odinga.
The cases against them at the Ministry of Internal Affairs were eventually dropped due to lack of evidence.
All kinds of alliances are possible in Kenyan politics, however unlikely they may seem to outsiders.
All national leaders are trying to do is to keep their regional or ethnic blocs intact to use them as bargaining chips in finding partnerships and winning formulas in national elections.
Both Ruta and Odinga have been working on it for a long time, having joined politics at a young age.
They both have a loyal base of support – as shown by their recent alliance, when Odinga’s supporters completely converted to a politician they opposed almost to the last just two years ago.
Gachagua hoped to gain the same fame, but his ambition burned him for now.
He is challenging his impeachment in court, which, if successful, could give him a political lifeline. Otherwise, the law does not allow him to run for office for at least 10 years.
Such politics is a long game. At 59, Gachagua entered the field quite late, and his future is unclear.
He may well be condemned to political oblivion, or he may yet return to the arena – as a rival to Rut or even his ally.
a vexes, a former deputy, shakes hands and smiles on national television, as he shakes hands and smiles on national television.
Kenya’s political scene is an active seismic zone – the tectonic plates are constantly shifting and anything is possible.
