Chief Justice Martha Koome has appointed a three-judge bench to hear five petitions seeking to prevent the impeachment of Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua.

The bench will be led by Justice Erick Ogola, with Justices Antony Mrima and Dr. Frida Mugambi joining him.

Deputy President Gachagua, represented by a legal team led by Senior Counsel Paul Muite, is challenging the impeachment on several grounds, including a lack of public participation.

Gachagua's team claims that Parliament failed to meet the required standards because the standing orders only allowed for a seven-day window to address the issue before sending it to the Senate.

Muite emphasized that this period was insufficient to allow proper engagement with the public.

Furthermore, the legal team argued that Gachagua was not given enough time to prepare his defense, asserting that he should have been allowed at least 12 days to respond to the allegations that led to his impeachment

In contrast, lawyer Benson Millimo, representing the National Assembly, defended the impeachment process. 

He argued that Parliament had fulfilled its constitutional mandate by passing the resolution and forwarding it to the Senate, dismissing claims that due process had been neglected. 

The court will now decide whether Parliament adhered to the legal requirements in the impeachment process.