Thursday, August 4, 2022 – Deputy President William Ruto’s running mate, Rigathi Gachagua, has dismissed demands by Azimo presidential candidate Raila Odinga that he should be disqualified from the August 9 poll.
Speaking during an interview, Gachagua termed the remarks by Raila as senseless.
He said he has not been convicted of a criminal offence for him to be disqualified as alleged by Raila Odinga.
“I have no conviction. I think that the old man has lost his senses. Who has been convicted? I have not been convicted of any offence.
“The Constitution is very clear, for you to be barred, you must have been convicted for six months and have exhausted all mechanisms of appeal.”
“I have not been convicted. The matter before the courts was a civil matter between me and Ara and I have already appealed against the judgement. It is a civil matter, not a criminal matter,” Gachagua stated.
In a campaign trail in Kirinyaga on Monday, Raila demanded the disqualification of Gachagua, saying he is a convict.
Raila cited the last week’s court ruling that ordered the Mathira MP to surrender Sh200 million to the State, funds it said he acquired fraudulently.
“Under Section 6 of the Constitution, you cannot contest for the presidency or be a presidential running mate if you have been indicted of a crime.
“That means Ruto has no running mate because his running mate has been found guilty of one of the most serious economic crimes in the country,” Odinga said.
Section 6 of the Constitution on Leadership and Integrity bars anyone convicted by a court of law of any crime from holding public office.
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