# Kenya senator alleges he was offered KSh 10 million to vote for Gachagua's 2024 impeachment; former deputy president asks court to act on the claim > Makueni Senator Dan Maanzo alleged on July 30 that he was offered KSh 10 million (roughly US$77,000) to vote in favour of former Kenyan Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua's 2024 Senate impeachment; Gachagua asked the court handling his impeachment challenge to take the bribery claim seriously, citing earlier public admissions by MPs Junet Mohamed and Jalang'o; a Rift Valley governor also defected from President William Ruto's UDA party to Gachagua's Democratic Change Party ahead of the 2027 elections **Meta:** type: event · date: 2026-07-29 · heads: Who Decides, The Long Game · 4 takes · 4 lenses · 1 regions ## Summary Makueni Senator Dan Maanzo alleged on July 30 that he was offered KSh 10 million (approximately US$77,000) to vote in favour of former Kenyan Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua's impeachment in the Senate in October 2024. Gachagua's lawyers asked the High Court to take the bribery admissions seriously, including earlier public statements by MPs Junet Mohamed and Jalang'o in which both acknowledged involvement in payments; Gachagua, in a Swahili aside, said the admissions were damaging themselves, "wanaongea." A Rift Valley governor also defected from President William Ruto's UDA party to Gachagua's Democratic Change Party, the latest sign of erosion in Ruto's support base ahead of the 2027 elections. The hate-speech probe against Gachagua is tracked in [Kenya's hate-speech watchdog investigates former Deputy President Gachagua over 'kill the snake' remarks as opposition bloc rallies against Ruto ahead of 2027](/en/n/kenya-gachagua-ncic-0728). ## The split All three original sources are Kenyan digital outlets with pro-opposition-friendly audiences; no pro-Ruto or pro-government source has yet publicly responded to the bribery allegations in the feed. The Kenyan Post's story on the governor defection, the only wire in the census, uses language friendly to Gachagua. The absence of a government or Senate official rebuttal is notable; the Kenyan Attorney General and the Senate speaker have not yet appeared in coverage. ## By the numbers - KSh 10 million, the alleged bribe offered to Senator Maanzo (roughly US$77,000) - 3+, named individuals who have now made public statements touching on alleged bribery: Junet Mohamed, Jalang'o, and Senator Maanzo - 1, additional UDA governor who defected to Gachagua's party this week ## Why it matters If the court treats the public admissions as evidence, Gachagua's impeachment case could be overturned, which would create a constitutional crisis over whether the 2024 vote was valid. Even without a ruling, the steady accumulation of named bribery allegations gives Gachagua's coalition a politically damaging narrative against Ruto heading into the 2027 campaign. The governor defections suggest Ruto's Mt Kenya base continues to fracture. ## What to watch - The court's response to Gachagua's application to include the bribery admissions as evidence - Whether Senator Maanzo files a formal complaint with the Director of Public Prosecutions - Further UDA defections to Gachagua's party before the 2027 election cycle begins - Government or Senate-leadership rebuttals to the bribery allegations ## Regional takes (batched by bias / lens) ### Kenyan digital outlet, court proceedings angle - **Tuko.co.ke** (Kenya, en) — Tuko reports Gachagua's direct court filing: his lawyers told the judges to act on the bribery admissions by Junet Mohamed and Jalang'o, saying the public statements constitute evidence that the 2024 impeachment vote was bought; Gachagua quoted in Swahili, 'Wanaongea,' which translates roughly as 'they are talking,' suggesting confidence the public admissions will carry legal weight. > "Rigathi Gachagua urges judges to acknowledge public admissions of bribery by Junet Mohamed and Jalang'o regarding his impeachment, citing financial inducements." Source: https://www.tuko.co.ke/politics/634593-gachagua-asks-court-jalango-junets-bribery-admission-seriously-impeachment-case/ ### Kenyan digital outlet, fresh bribery allegation - **Tuko.co.ke** (Kenya, en) — Makueni Senator Maanzo claims he personally was approached with a KSh 10 million bribe to vote for the impeachment, making him a named witness to the alleged buying of Senate votes; he says the offer was non-negotiable and specifically tied to the Senate impeachment ballot, adding to a chain of public allegations that now includes sitting MPs and a senator. > "Makueni Senator Dan Maanzo claims he was offered KSh 10 million to back Rigathi Gachagua's 2024 impeachment as fresh bribery allegations emerge." Source: https://www.tuko.co.ke/kenya/634667-dan-maanzo-claims-turned-ksh-10-million-bribe-gachagua-impeachment/ ### Kenyan independent outlet, Senate vote angle - **The Kenya Times** (Kenya, en) — The Kenya Times confirms the KSh 10 million figure and adds the context that the alleged offer was specifically and exclusively about the Senate impeachment vote; the senator's account corroborates Gachagua's legal argument that the Senate proceedings were compromised. > "According to the senator, the alleged offer was specifically linked to the Senate vote on Gachagua's impeachment and was not open to negotiation." Source: https://thekenyatimes.com/latest-kenya-times-news/gachagua-ouster-cash/ ### unlabelled - **Kenyan Post** (Kenya, en) — Source: https://www.kenyan-post.com/2026/07/blow-to-ruto-as-another-governor-quits.html ## Across the graph - Related: [[kenya-gachagua-ncic-0728]], [[kenya-dossier]] - Entities: Country:kenya, Person:william Ruto --- Canonical: https://rbtfl.xyz/en/n/kenya-gachagua-bribery-0730