Former Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua may still be in the running for the 2027 presidential race despite his impeachment, according to People's Liberation Party leader Martha Karua. Speaking on Citizen TV's Sunday Live show, Karua said that as long as Gachagua continues pursuing his appeal in court, nobody can legally bar him from seeking elective office.
Karua's argument is straightforward. She says the law is clear that a person only loses their right to run for office once they have either given up on appealing or gone through the entire appeals process and lost. Until that happens, she insists, eligibility stays intact.
To drive her point home, Karua pointed to a familiar example that many Kenyans will remember. She asked how President William Ruto and former President Uhuru Kenyatta were allowed to contest the 2013 elections while both were facing charges at the International Criminal Court in The Hague. Her answer was simple because the legal process had not been concluded.
"So long as he has given a notice of appeal, you cannot take away eligibility," Karua said firmly.
This debate has been heating up ever since Gachagua's impeachment, with many Kenyans wondering whether the former deputy president can realistically eye the top seat in 2027. Karua says the courts and the IEBC have historically held that eligibility remains until all legal doors have been shut.
On June 8, Gachagua moved to challenge the High Court ruling that upheld his impeachment, with his legal team confirming that a notice of appeal had already been filed. This came after a three-judge bench dismissed his petition, finding that both the National Assembly and the Senate followed due process and gave him a fair chance to defend himself.
Karua also used the moment to remind Parliament that it must be very careful to follow due process in everything it does, because while it operates independently, its decisions are not beyond scrutiny. Courts can and do examine parliamentary decisions and either uphold or overturn them. The same, she added, applies to the Presidency.
For now, the question of whether Gachagua can run in 2027 remains a legal one and by the look of things, that answer will only come once the courts have had the final word.
0 Comments