Junet Mohammed claims MPs pocketed cash during Gachagua impeachment

Suna East MP Junet Mohamed has claimed that money exchanged hands among Members of Parliament during the impeachment of former Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua, alleging that some lawmakers who received the cash have little to show for it.

Speaking at a public event, Junet alleged that money was circulating within Parliament as MPs debated and voted on Gachagua's removal from office. Although he did not provide evidence or name the legislators involved, he claimed some recipients squandered the alleged payments instead of investing them in meaningful projects.

"When we were impeaching former Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua, there was some money that was moving around in Parliament. I will say the truth, there was something moving around," Junet said.

"There are some people who received the money but have not built their homesteads. Impeachment does not come every day. If you got something from Gachagua's impeachment, please improve your home."

Urging his colleagues to invest in development projects in their constituencies instead of spending lavishly in Nairobi, Junet said he had not seen the impeachment money working in places like Bungoma, noting that some homes do not reflect the amounts allegedly received.

Junet did not identify the MPs he alleged received the money or disclose the source or amount of the payments.

His remarks mirror claims previously made by Gachagua, who has repeatedly alleged that lawmakers were bribed through the Deputy President's office to support the motion that removed him from office, allegations that remain politically contentious.

Gachagua was impeached in October 2024 after both the National Assembly and the Senate found that the charges against him met the constitutional threshold for removal, marking the first successful impeachment of a Deputy President under Kenya's 2010 Constitution.

The dispute later moved to the courts, where Gachagua challenged both the process and the outcome of his impeachment.

In June, the High Court upheld the impeachment but awarded him Sh50 million in constitutional damages after finding that his rights were violated when the Senate declined a request by his legal team for an adjournment.

Justice Eric Ogola ruled that the Senate's decision to proceed without granting the adjournment breached Gachagua's constitutional rights, warranting compensation, but clarified that the finding did not invalidate the impeachment itself.

Gachagua has since appealed the High Court's decision, seeking to overturn both the ruling and the legality of his removal from office.