Before a vote on whether to remove him from office was scheduled for Thursday evening, the deputy president, who was in the parliament in the morning, was scheduled to appear at 14:30 local time (11:30 GMT) to explain himself.
“The sad reality is that the deputy president of the Republic of Kenya has been taken sick, very sick, and is… in hospital,” stated Paul Muite, his attorney.
The trial is still going on without the deputy president after the upper chamber rejected a plan to postpone it by two days.
Prior to the vote, Mr. Muite claimed that he had been unable to speak with Gachagua, also known as “Riggy G,” since he had been admitted to The Karen Hospital due to severe chest problems.
Earlier, Senator Daniel Maanzo told local Citizen TV that the deputy president “just looked tired” but that he had lunch at his office with other senators who had assured him that he was well and that everyone was expecting him to come for his defense.
Senate Speaker Amason Kingi denied Mr. Muite’s request for an extension until Tuesday, stating that the impeachment trial could not be lawfully continued until Saturday. The majority of senators rejected this idea.
After declaring that he would not be making a closing statement, Gachagua’s attorney departed the session.
