COLUMN: MIND YOUR LANGUAGE. Kenyan Deputy President: To impeach or to empeach?

Drama has been unfolding in Kenya, with MPs incensed to remove their Deputy President Mr Rigathi Gachagua, Rig-G from office.

They seem to enjoy the process. A news item in the Good Citizen (9 October, page 6) titled: “Kenya’s Parliament puts DP ‘through the wringer’” has it all. In the opening paragraph, the story writer tells us the following: “Kenya’s Parliament was last night expected to vote to impeach Deputy President, despite his defence before the law-making body”. According to a posting on the social media: “I thought Rig-G should have resigned by now. ‘Empeachment’ is a political process.

The threshold of evidence isn’t like in the courts of law. These guys are adamant and determined. The wind is blowing against Rig-G. Oh poor Rig-G!”. So, is it “impeachment, or, empeachment?” Let us not beat about the bush. It is “impeachment”. To impeach is mainly used in the US and means: “to charge the holder of a public office with misconduct”. One legislator is quoted as saying that Mr Gachagua has not answered the allegations he is being accused of: “He has no right whatsoever to castigate senior public officials in the streets. He has access to security meetings and he knows ‘where should have done these things’”.

“Where should have done those things” is unclear to me. It seems like the legislator was unhappy with what Rig-G may have said publicly and that this was not proper. He has security meetings forums where he can table any misgivings that he might have. Majority Leader is quoted as thrashing Mr Gachagua’s defence on impeachment: “I pray to God to give me wisdom to do what is right. What is right is not always popular: I am here to do what’s right for Kenya and that is why I support DP Gachagua’s impeachment motion”. You will note that the phrase: “What is right” is used three times in the above short paragraph.

To avoid this, it is proposed to rewrite the paragraph as follows: “I pray to God to give me wisdom to do what is right, much as doing so is not always popular: I am here to do what is appropriate for Kenya and that is why I support DP Gachagua’s impeachment motion”.

According to the story writer, before the MPs started debating Mr Gachagua’s defence, the Speaker of the National Assembly, Mr MW: “‘commends’ the Deputy President for making his submissions as required and ‘thanks’ the legislators for showing decorum”. Why is the Speaker reported in the present tense, when what he said was in the past? Two verbs, “commend” and “thank”, need to change their form: “The Speaker of the National Assembly Mr MW “‘commended’ the Deputy President for making his submissions as required and ‘thanked’ the legislators for showing decorum”.

Responding to some allegations fired against him, Mr Gachagua is reported as saying that: “he has never disrespected anybody and challenged anyone ‘who’ he had ever disrespected to come forward and provide evidence for this”.

The verb “disrespected” is used twice in this one sentence. This can be avoided. Also the pronoun “who” is used in the wrong form.

Here is a recommended re-write: Mr Gachagua “has never disrespected anybody and challenged anyone ‘whom’ he had ever insulted to come forward and provide evidence for this”. According to the story writer: “Mr Gachagua has also denied allegations that he was involved in the Kshs 3.7 billion mosquito net tender. He has denied that he bullied or coerced any state officers”. We see here that he phrase: “he has denied” is used twice in the above paragraph.

This could be avoided by restructuring the sentence as follows: “Mr Gachagua has also denied allegations that he was involved in the Kshs 3.7 billion mosquito net tender; or that he bullied or coerced any state officers”. As we go to the weekend, Mr Gachagua’s fate seems to be sealed.

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