Africa-Press – Kenya. The High Court has set hearing dates for former Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua’s legal challenge seeking compensation over what he describes as an “unlawful impeachment.” The case, which has seen multiple procedural developments since the initiation of impeachment proceedings, will proceed before the bench in April.
During a court session on Tuesday, February 10, Senior Counsel Paul Muite, representing Gachagua, said his client was directly affected by the impeachment and requested that the court prioritise his case when scheduling hearings.
“The instructions I have from my client in the three petitions are to politely request this court to give us the earliest hearing date,” Muite told the bench, citing Gachagua’s concern over being most affected by the impeachment.
He further urged that, if possible, the hearing be scheduled before the Easter break. The court has fixed April 14, 15, and 16, 2026, for the hearings.
Gachagua will present his case on April 14, the State will respond on April 15, and any rejoinder will be heard on April 16. Proceedings will begin at 10 am daily and will be conducted physically in court.
The dates were adjusted from an initial March schedule that conflicted with the Easter vacation. In another petition, lawyer Harrison Kinyanjui has filed an application seeking an expanded bench for the case.
The court will consider the application on February 26, 2026. Judge Anthony Mrima indicated that if an expanded bench is deemed necessary later, there will be time to notify and serve the relevant parties.
“If we feel there is a need for an expanded bench, there’s time. Just serve the parties you feel need to be served,” he said. At the centre of Gachagua’s compensation claim is his challenge to the legality of his impeachment and his removal from office.
He is seeking constitutional redress for the period he was out of the deputy president position, arguing that the process violated his rights and caused him loss.
“The petitioner wishes to vigorously challenge the legality and constitutionality of his impeachment and will be seeking to persuade this Honourable Court to grant him a monument he would have earned had he served for the entire five years for which he had been elected by the Kenyan people,” Muite told the court in May 2025 while seeking to amend the petition.
The developments follow a Supreme Court ruling delivered on January 30, 2026, in which a four‐judge bench led by Chief Justice Martha Koome dismissed key applications filed by Gachagua and the National Assembly relating to his impeachment. The apex court clarified that it had no jurisdiction to stay High Court proceedings, as sought by Gachagua.
