Makueni Senator Dan Maanzo has warned that if the rumored impeachment motion against Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua proceeds, a similar effort to impeach President William Ruto will follow. Maanzo’s remarks come amid reports of a growing rift between Ruto and his deputy, with allegations of a plot to sideline Gachagua within government.

Speaking during an interview on Monday, Maanzo stated that Ruto and Gachagua were elected on the same ticket, and therefore any move to impeach Gachagua should also target the president. “If there is an impeachment motion against the Deputy President, then we will also have an impeachment motion against the President. They were elected together,” he declared.

Maanzo argued that if any constitutional violations have occurred, they are more likely tied to Ruto than Gachagua, and threatened to push for both impeachment motions to be debated simultaneously in the National Assembly and Senate.

He defended Gachagua, claiming that the deputy president’s efforts to support tea, coffee, and macadamia farmers in Central Kenya have led to political frustrations and that the impeachment rumors are a tactic to undermine him.

Cleophas Malala, Secretary-General of the United Democratic Alliance (UDA), echoed Maanzo’s sentiments on Sunday, urging Ruto to block the alleged impeachment plan, warning that such a move could backfire. Malala suggested that those pushing for Gachagua’s removal could ultimately turn against the president as well.