Tanga Tanga MPs are collecting signatures for Uhuru's impeachment - Nyeri Town MP Ngunjiri Wambugu

Nyeri Town MP Ngunjiri Wambugu on Sunday claimed that the Tanga Tanga squad, comprising of political leaders allied to Deputy President William Ruto, has started collecting signatures for President Uhuru Kenyatta’s impeachment motion.

Wambugu, who is a prominent member of the Kieleweke team, said a statement by Kapseret MP Oscar Sudi accusing President Kenyatta of being incompetent, was also part of the plan.

The Nyeri Town MP said the Tanga Tanga squad was spoiling for a political fight to retaliate against the President Kenyatta’s tough stance against corruption.

“This is a premeditated plan by some leaders, who had been collecting signatures with such intent”.

“This is just one indication that the people behind corruption are willing to do anything to stop him and they are dangerous,” Wambugu said.

Procedure for impeaching Kenyan President

According to the Constitution, a member of the National Assembly can move a motion of impeachment against the President but on several conditions.

First, it must be based on a gross violation of local or international law on the part of the President.

Before the motion can be tabled, the MP sponsoring the motion has to gather signatures showing support from at least one third of all members.

There are 349 MPs in the National Assembly, meaning the sponsoring MP would need 117 signatures before the motion can be tabled on the floor of the house.

Once debated, the impeachment motion requires support from at least two thirds of the MPs (233 members) for it to sail through.

If the motion sails through, the Speaker of the National Assembly would inform the Senate of the decision after which the Speaker of the Senate would convene a sitting to inform senators of the charges against the President.

An eleven member-committee of the Senate would then be formed to listen to the charges, with the President having the right to appear and defend himself in the presence of his lawyers.

The committee is required to report to the Senate within ten days on whether it finds the particulars of the allegations against the President to have been substantiated.

“If at least two-thirds of all the members of the Senate vote to uphold any impeachment charge, the President shall cease to hold office,” the Constitution states in Article 145 (7).