This archive report was first published on 16 June 2020.
On June 16, 2020, the Senate was set to decide whether to conduct impeachment hearings against Kirinyaga Governor Anne Waiguru. The day before, Deputy President William Ruto held a secret meeting with a section of Senators at his Karen residence in Nairobi.
According to sources, Ruto urged the Senators to resist being influenced to save Waiguru and allow her to defend herself against the claims tabled by Kirinyaga Members of County Assembly.
“Let Waiguru rise or fall on the strength of her defence against accusations by the Kirinyaga ward representatives,” Ruto was quoted as saying.
However, Ruto's Director of Communication Emmanuel Talam denied that the meeting took place.
Waiguru's impeachment motion was sparked by her alleged betrayal of Deputy President Ruto when she switched allegiance to President Uhuru Kenyatta and ODM leader Raila Odinga after the handshake.
Waiguru reportedly sought the influence of Kenyatta and Odinga to save her from being impeached at the Senate. However, Odinga distanced himself from the claims, stating, “The Senators should carry out the mandate independently. I don’t need to save anyone. Let someone defend themselves based on the facts presented.”
