NAIROBI, Kenya (AP) — Kenya’s Senate voted Thursday to remove Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua from office in an impeachment trial on corruption and other allegations, hours after the deputy president was taken to the hospital with chest pains.
Senators approved five of 11 grounds for impeachment against Gachagua, making him the first sitting deputy president to be removed from office in impeachment proceedings.
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FILE - Kenya's Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua gestures to the crowd at the swearing-in ceremony for Kenya's new president William Ruto, at Kasarani stadium in Nairobi, Kenya Tuesday, Sept. 13, 2022. (AP Photo/Brian Inganga, File)
FILE - Kenya's Deputy President-Elect Rigathi Gachagua addresses the media, in Nairobi, Kenya Monday, Sept. 5, 2022. (AP Photo/Brian Inganga, File)
Kenya's Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua addresses the media, in Nairobi, Kenya, Monday, Oct. 7, 2022. (AP Photo/Andrew Kasuku)
Kenya's deputy president is hospitalized as the Senate debates his impeachment
Kenya's deputy president is hospitalized as the Senate debates his impeachment
The vote on the first of the five counts was 54-13, well above the two-thirds majority required to convict and remove him from office. The lower house of Parliament, the National Assembly, voted 282-44 last week to impeach the deputy president.
Gachagua had pleaded not guilty Wednesday to the 11 charges and had been expected to be cross-examined by lawyers from the Assembly in the afternoon. But the hearing was briefly adjourned after Gachagua was hospitalized and his lawyers asked for a pause to give him until Tuesday to appear before the chamber.
However, Assembly lawyers said Gachagua's defense already had been presented and that the Senate was bound by the constitution to continue the proceedings.
Gachagua faced allegations that included corruption, inciting ethnic divisions and support for anti-government protests that saw demonstrators storm the Parliament
The case has highlights divisions within the ruling party of President William Ruto, and friction between Ruto and Gachagua over government policy. The deputy president had been accused of insubordination when he opposed the government's policy of forced evictions during heavy rains that caused flooding and deaths.
During his defense before the Assembly last week, Gachagua said he believed the impeachment motion had the president’s nod, and he has asked legislators to make their decision “without intimidation and coercion.” Ruto has not commented publicly on the impeachment.
Gachagua's lawyer Paul Muite said Thursday that doctors told him the deputy president was suffering from “intense chest pains” and needed “complete rest.”
Dan Gikonyo, a doctor at Karen Hospital, told journalists outside the facility that the deputy president would be observed for up to three days. “Stress can cause heart problems and the DP is definitely in a lot of stress,” Dr. Gikonyo said.
Earlier Thursday, lawyers had cross-examined witnesses presented by the Assembly the previous day, including the legislator who moved the impeachment motion and the anticorruption agency’s boss. At one point Gachagua’s legal team asked to expunge the affidavit of a key witness, the elected governor for the capital Nairobi, after the governor failed to turn up.
The tensions over Gachagua's impeachment risk introducing more uncertainty for investors and others in East Africa’s commercial hub.
Ruto, who came to office claiming to represent Kenya’s poorest citizens, has faced widespread criticism for his efforts to raise taxes in an effort to find ways to pay off foreign creditors. But the public opposition led him to shake up his cabinet and back off certain proposals.
FILE - Kenya's Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua gestures to the crowd at the swearing-in ceremony for Kenya's new president William Ruto, at Kasarani stadium in Nairobi, Kenya Tuesday, Sept. 13, 2022. (AP Photo/Brian Inganga, File)
FILE - Kenya's Deputy President-Elect Rigathi Gachagua addresses the media, in Nairobi, Kenya Monday, Sept. 5, 2022. (AP Photo/Brian Inganga, File)
Kenya's Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua addresses the media, in Nairobi, Kenya, Monday, Oct. 7, 2022. (AP Photo/Andrew Kasuku)
Kenya's deputy president is hospitalized as the Senate debates his impeachment
Kenya's deputy president is hospitalized as the Senate debates his impeachment
GLENDALE, Ariz. (AP) — Kyler Murray and the Arizona Cardinals aren't going to start talking about must-win games in mid-October.
Even so, the prospect of a third straight lost season makes Monday night's matchup against the improving Los Angeles Chargers particularly important.
The Cardinals (2-4) have shown promise during coach Jonathan Gannon's second season, but still haven't won back-to-back games since 2021. Arizona's back at square one in that pursuit, coming off a 34-13 loss to Green Bay one week after beating the defending NFC champion San Francisco 49ers.
“We have to remain positive, because we know what we have in here,” Murray said. “It's not like we're at rock bottom. No one's given up on what we can accomplish. I've got full faith and confidence in all the guys in the locker room.”
The Cardinals have had a tough schedule and that continues on Monday with the Chargers (3-2), who have one of the NFL's best defenses.
Gannon said the Cardinals need to focus mostly on themselves.
“We need to do more collectively to win more games, so that’s (where) all our energy and focus right now is what do we control (and) how that impacts beating the Chargers on Monday night,” Gannon said. "That’s where our headspace is at.”
The Chargers are coming off a 23-16 win over the Broncos that was a step in the right direction for their offense. Now they'll get to go against a Cardinals defense that's been one of the worst in the league.
Los Angeles quarterback Justin Herbert wasn't taking anything for granted.
“They do a lot of great things,” Herbert said. “They’re going to play a bunch of different coverages and they find a way to to make them all work. When you turn on the tape you see a great disguise plan and a whole lot of coverages that they’re pretty sound.”
The Cardinals are banged up on the defensive line with veteran starters Justin Jones (triceps) and Bilal Nichols (stinger) out for the season. It's one reason Arizona has struggled to get pressure on opposing quarterbacks.
The injuries have put more pressure on others like Roy Lopez and Dante Stills. A sixth-round pick last year out of West Virginia, Stills has grown into a solid player.
“We just keep looking for consistency from him,” Gannon said. “When he does it right, he’s really, really good and that’s all of our guys. He’ll have a good week and play well.”
Now that Herbert's high ankle sprain is behind him and the offensive line is somewhat healthy, the Chargers are beginning to show signs of reaching their potential on offense.
Herbert threw for a season high 237 yards last week at Denver, but the offense remained balanced (38 passes, 37 runs). Herbert completed passes to nine players, and he could have another new target this week. DJ Chark has started practicing after being on injured reserve since the start of the season.
The Chargers have the league’s third-highest run rate at 52.4% and will be facing the NFL’s fourth-worst run defense. J.K. Dobbins is second in the AFC with 438 rushing yards and had a career-high 25 carries last week.
Jim Harbaugh was 6-0 as a coach on “Monday Night Football” during his four seasons with the San Francisco 49ers.
After briefly leaving the sideline last week due to an irregular heartbeat, Harbaugh said on Wednesday that his stress test back normal and that his heart is back in rhythm.
Before last Sunday at Denver, the last time Harbaugh had felt an irregular heartbeat on the sideline was during a Monday night game in 2012 when the 49ers took on the Chicago Bears.
Cardinals running back James Conner has been productive on Monday nights, scoring six touchdowns in six games. That includes three games with the Cardinals in which he's had 293 total yards and four touchdowns.
The 29-year-old Conner leads the Cardinals with 403 yards rushing this season.
Murray's scrambling. He is third among quarterbacks in scramble yards (150) on 16 runs.
The Chargers have already faced prolific scramblers in Justin Fields (Pittsburgh), Patrick Mahomes (Kansas City) and Bo Nix (Denver). Nix had six scrambles for 61 yards last week, with many coming in the fourth quarter after the Chargers built a 23-0 lead.
“You have to treat those type of quarterbacks like running backs. You go tackle them," Harbaugh said. “Kyler is good or better than a lot of running backs. It is something we can get better at, especially when there are free runners.”
AP Sports Writer Joe Reedy in El Segundo, California, contributed to this report.
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Arizona Cardinals wide receiver Greg Dortch (4) loses control of the ball and fumbles during the second half of an NFL football game against the Green Bay Packers, Sunday, Oct. 13, 2024, in Green Bay. (AP Photo/Morry Gash)
Los Angeles Chargers running back J.K. Dobbins (27) runs with the football during the first half of an NFL football game against the Denver Broncos, Sunday, Oct. 13, 2024, in Denver. (AP Photo/David Zalubowski)
Arizona Cardinals quarterback Kyler Murray (1) passes against the San Francisco 49ers during the second half of an NFL football game in Santa Clara, Calif., Sunday, Oct. 6, 2024. (AP Photo/Godofredo A. Vásquez)
