• Thursday, 26 December 2024

"Impeachment is not the answer" Archbishop Jackson Ole Sapit calls for dialogue between the president and his deputy

Archbishop Jackson Old Sapit has called for dialogue between the President and his deputy.

This comes at a time when the alleged impeachment of Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua is rife.

Those behind the impeachment plot have cited alleged gross misconduct on the DP’s side, which they say undermines the dignity of his office.

Speaking on Thursday, Ole Sapit said that such kind of talks take the country to a campaign mode, saying Kenyans are not ready for that phase at the moment.

"Every other time we disagree within the presidency, it makes the presidency dysfunctional. What we are beginning to see is a dysfunctional presidency where the President and the Deputy President are pitting against each other," he said.

The Archbishop instead called on the two parties to sit down and dialogue to calm the country.

"Ours is a call for the dialogue. Impeachment is not a solution, and I don't think we have a constitutional framework because the kind of presidency we have today is a joint presidency where the President and the Deputy are elected in the same election vote, and I don't think an impeachment is the way forward," Ole Sapit added.

"As the Church, we don't advocate for the impeachment; we ask those who are advocating for it to embrace dialogue, and we call upon the two to sit the way they sat and agreed to walk together so that Kenya is not put in the kind of division that they are putting today."

During the TV interview at his official residence in Karen, Gachagua appeared resigned to his fate, saying he will take the impeachment if it comes and if those behind it have issues with him that are constitutional and meet the threshold.

“If members of Parliament are persuaded, intimidated, or coerced to remove me from office, so be it. The matter ends there, it’s that simple,” he said.

“There’s nothing Rigathi Gachagua can do about it. That is their purview,” he added.

The DP subtly urged the President to 'get his house in order'.

As the highest-ranking leader from the Mt. Kenya region, Gachagua warned the president against taking for granted the region’s overwhelming support in the 2022 election.

Independence party Kanu also weighed in on the matter, saying if an impeachment motion is to be tabled, it should be aimed at both the President and his deputy.

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