Leaders allied to President William Ruto have asked the Registrar of Political Parties to state, within 14 days, whether former Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua can legally hold office in a political party after his impeachment.

The demand was made at an empowerment event in Malava constituency, Kakamega County, attended by Kibwezi West MP Mwengi Mutuse, Sabatia MP Clement Sloya, Vihiga Woman Representative Beatrice Adagala and presidential aide Farouk Kibet, according to The Standard and People Daily.

The Article 75 argument

Mutuse, who moved the impeachment motion against Gachagua in 2024, cited Article 75(3) of the Constitution, which bars a state officer removed from office for breaching leadership and integrity rules from holding any other state office. He argued that political parties are public institutions and that Gachagua should therefore stop presenting himself as an official of the Democracy for the Citizens Party (DCP), which he leads.

Adagala urged the Registrar to issue a formal position within 14 days.

The question is legally contested. Gachagua was removed by the Senate in October 2024 and the High Court later dismissed his challenge, but he has appealed to the Court of Appeal. Some constitutional lawyers have argued that disqualification does not take effect until all appeals are exhausted, although that debate has largely centred on his eligibility to run for president rather than to hold party office.

The Registrar's office had not responded publicly to the demand, and Gachagua had not commented on it by the time of publication.

Defending the Raila stadium

The same leaders defended the government's decision to name the new 60,000-seat Talanta Stadium in Nairobi after former Prime Minister Raila Odinga, saying public facilities should honour people who shaped the country's history and that the tribute was not an endorsement of any political faction.

Kibet described critics of the move as "deceitful" and "dishonest", saying they had neither built the stadium nor supported local sides such as Harambee Stars and AFC Leopards. Mutuse said the critics had "hated Raila while alive" and asked whether they would rather have a "Rigathi Gachagua Stadium".

Gachagua has questioned the billions spent on the stadium and argued that local teams, rather than Bayern Munich and Ajax, should have headlined its opening match.

Battle for Western

The Malava event is part of an intensifying contest for Western Kenya ahead of 2027. Ruto's allies have been rallying the region behind the President's re-election, while Gachagua and the opposition have been courting voters on behalf of Nairobi Senator Edwin Sifuna, whose Linda Mwananchi Movement has drawn large crowds in the region.

The leaders also called for unity, saying political competition should not threaten national cohesion as the country heads into the election.

Photos: The Standard; Citizen Digital. Thumbnail design: HAMASTA MEDIA.