Former Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua has withdrawn two petitions he had filed challenging his impeachment by parliament, saying they had been overtaken by events.
Gachagua’s legal team on May 15, applied to the High Court, seeking to withdraw the pre-impeachment petitions that the new Democracy for Citizens Party leader filed in October last year.
He former DP had filed the cases seeking to stop the National Assembly and the Senate from impeaching him.
Former DP withdraws 2 petitions challenging his impeachment. Photo: Courtesy.
Gachagua withdrew the two petitions on Friday to focus on the post-impeachment suit currently under consideration by the High Court.
In the application, Gachagua called on the High Court to place the active post-impeachment petition before the Chief Justice to empanel a bench to hear and determine the matter.
This comes days after the Court of Appeal quashed a decision by Deputy Chief Justice Philomena Mwilu to constitute a three-judge bench to hear and determine the impeachment case.
In the ruling, the Appellate Court directed that the matter be referred to CJ Koome, who has the executive mandate to empanel a bench to hear and determine such cases.
Mwilu had appointed Justices Eric Ogolla, Anthony Murima, and Fred Mugambi to hear Gachagua’s petition challenging his impeachment.
However, the former DP’s legal team filed an appeal challenging Mwilu’s decision to appoint the three judges.
