NAIROBI, Kenya — Embattled nominated Senator Gloria Orwoba has expressed regret over her role in the impeachment of former Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua, saying she misinterpreted the key charge that ultimately influenced her vote.
In an interview on K24 aired Thursday night, Orwoba acknowledged that, in hindsight, she would have handled the matter differently.
“I do, I regret it,” she said when asked whether she stood by her earlier decision to support Gachagua’s removal from office.
Her admission marks a significant reversal from her previous stance, where she had strongly backed the impeachment motion.
Orwoba revealed that while the motion presented 11 charges against Gachagua, she believed only one was convincingly substantiated — a charge related to a controversial remark the former DP made during a political rally.
“I said the only thing (out of the 11 counts) that has been substantiated is when Gachagua had a movement in his community that was ‘misinterpreted’ by Kenyans and the ‘usiguze mlima’ remark,” she said. “I was one of the people who misinterpreted it… it was the count I impeached him on.”
She added that the Senate failed to back most of the other allegations with solid evidence.
Fallout and Legal Battle
Orwoba’s remarks come amid her own political troubles.
The United Democratic Alliance (UDA) party expelled her last week, and Senate Speaker Amason Kingi formally declared her seat vacant in a Gazette Notice dated May 21, 2025.
“It is notified for the general information of the public that pursuant to Article 101(2) of the Constitution of Kenya… the seat held by Senator Gloria Orwoba has become vacant,” the notice read.
However, Orwoba has obtained a court order temporarily staying her expulsion and removal from office, setting up a legal battle that could determine her political future.
The nomination seat she held — designated for special interest groups under Article 98(1)(b) of the Constitution — is now at the centre of a constitutional and political standoff.
