Democracy for the Citizens Party (DCP) leader Rigathi Gachagua has rejected the KSh50 million compensation awarded to him by the High Court, describing the amount as an insult to his constitutional rights and a mockery of the Constitution.
Speaking during a press conference on Tuesday, June 9, 2026, Gachagua maintained that his legal battle was never about financial compensation but about defending constitutional principles and protecting the rights of the millions of Kenyans who voted for him.
“The KSh50 million awarded to me is an insult to my fundamental rights and freedoms and a mockery of the Constitution. We are not interested. Money was not the issue; justice and constitutional supremacy was,” Gachagua stated.
The former Deputy President further claimed that President William Ruto had previously offered him KSh2 billion to resign from office and avoid the impeachment process, an offer he says he rejected.
“If I were interested in money, Mr Ruto had offered me KSh2 billion in an effort to entice me to avoid impeachment and opt for resignation. But I stood for my rights and that of over seven million Kenyans who voted for me. I rejected this offer and faced the National Assembly,” he said.
Gachagua insisted that no amount of money could persuade him to abandon what he considers a fight for justice and constitutional order.
“No amount of money can stand between me, my rights and Kenyans,” he added.
His remarks come a day after the High Court upheld his impeachment while simultaneously finding that his right to a fair hearing had been violated during the Senate proceedings.
The three-judge bench ruled that although the constitutional threshold for impeachment had been met, aspects of the process infringed on Gachagua’s rights under the Constitution. The court consequently ordered the Senate to compensate him with KSh50 million in damages.
However, Gachagua questioned the logic of the ruling, arguing that once the court found that his constitutional rights had been violated, the entire impeachment process should have been declared null and void.
“We strongly observe that the impeachment process was found faulty by the three-judge bench for failure to respect my right to fair hearing. Once that determination was made, the entire process collapsed and was null and void. There was no impeachment,” he said.
He further accused the court of issuing a contradictory judgment by upholding the impeachment despite acknowledging violations of his constitutional protections.
“The three-judge bench was obligated by operation of the law on the determination of a violation of the Constitution to set aside the impeachment. The decision by the bench to purport to uphold the impeachment is in itself a violation,” Gachagua argued.
The DCP leader also confirmed that his legal team, led by Senior Counsel Paul Muite, will challenge the decision at the Court of Appeal.
According to Gachagua, the appeal will focus on the court’s finding that his rights under Articles 25, 47 and 50 of the Constitution were violated, arguing that such a finding should have automatically invalidated the impeachment process.
“We shall proceed to file an appeal at the Court of Appeal on the decision and hope that justice shall prevail,” he said.
The planned appeal is expected to reopen legal and constitutional questions surrounding the impeachment process, setting the stage for another major court battle over due process, constitutional rights and the legal consequences of impeachment.
