Kenyan MP Junet Claims MPs and Senators Were Paid During Gachagua Impeachment, Names Aaron Cheruiyot

Kenyan member of parliament Junet Mohammed has made a startling claim that some Members of Parliament and Senators were allegedly given money during the 2024 process that led to the removal of former Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua from office.

Junet, the Member of Parliament for Suna East, made the allegation during a joint political meeting involving the United Democratic Alliance (UDA) and the Orange Democratic Movement (ODM) in Kakamega on Sunday, where he suggested that money was distributed to lawmakers before the vote that overwhelmingly supported Gachagua’s impeachment.

“Something happened there, in Parliament. Let me tell the truth,” Junet said while referring to the process that resulted in Gachagua’s removal.

The MP went on to make a specific claim involving Senate Speaker Aaron Cheruiyot, saying, “When we were removing Rigathi Gachagua from office, something happened there. In Parliament, the accounting officer was Aaron Cheruiyot.”

Junet did not, in the remarks provided, explain how much money was allegedly distributed, who specifically received it or provide evidence to substantiate the claim. His comments also did not clarify whether he was alleging that the payments were intended to influence MPs’ votes.

The remarks have nevertheless raised fresh questions about the political events surrounding one of the most significant impeachment processes in Kenya’s recent history.

Gachagua, who served as President William Ruto‘s deputy, became the subject of an impeachment motion in October 2024 after Members of the National Assembly voted to advance the process against him.

The accusations against the former deputy president included alleged violations of the Constitution, promoting ethnic divisions, undermining the authority of the government and making remarks that were considered inconsistent with the principles of national leadership.

After the National Assembly approved the impeachment motion, the matter moved to the Senate, where Senators considered the allegations before ultimately voting to remove Gachagua from office.

His removal made him the first deputy president in Kenya to be ousted through an impeachment process since the country’s current constitutional system came into force.

Junet appeared to suggest that some lawmakers who allegedly received money during the process failed to use it wisely, telling them that they should have invested the money or built houses rather than spending it without securing their future.

His comments came as he criticized individuals who, according to him, now wanted to take political action against people who had previously supported Gachagua’s removal.

“Now some people are telling us they have people, and they want to take us to the person we impeached, the person we removed from office,” Junet said.

The allegations are likely to attract attention because of the seriousness of claims that lawmakers may have been financially influenced during a constitutional process involving the removal of a senior government official.

However, Junet’s remarks, as reported, remain allegations and have not been accompanied by publicly presented evidence in the statements provided. There was also no immediate response cited from Aaron Cheruiyot or other lawmakers who may have been implicated by the claims.

The allegations could therefore put renewed focus on the events surrounding Gachagua’s impeachment and raise questions about whether any financial inducements were involved in the parliamentary process.

For now, Junet’s comments have opened a new political conversation around the 2024 impeachment, with the former deputy president’s removal once again at the center of debate in Kenya’s increasingly competitive political landscape.