On Thursday, October 17, an atmosphere of tension and urgency descended upon the Karen residence of impeached Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua.
As the country slept, staff at the residence were engaged in an unexpected and frantic task: clearing out personal belongings in the dead of night.
According to a report by The Sunday Nation Newspaper, by the time the Senate voted to impeach Gachagua around 11 p.m., the writing was on the wall, and panic spread among those closest to him.
Multiple sources revealed that Gachagua’s team, anticipating his removal after the proceedings in the National Assembly the previous week, had already begun preparations to vacate the premises.
The final decision in the Senate triggered swift action as staff worked through the night to pack and remove personal items from the official residence.
The hurried operation, which continued until the early hours of Friday, was aimed at avoiding a public spectacle in the morning. Personal effects belonging to Gachagua, including clothing and personal documents, were loaded into vehicles.
His staff, too, wasted no time, gathering their own belongings and returning government-issued vehicles. While some employees promptly handed over the keys to their government cars, others hesitated, perhaps hoping for a last-minute reversal of fortune.
However, it was reported that an operation was launched on Saturday to recover these vehicles from those still holding on.
As the clock ticked past midnight, activity around Gachagua’s residence intensified. Staff members worked in silence, clearing out everything by 2:30 a.m. when the last of them departed the property.
Those who had worked closely with Gachagua throughout his tenure understood that it was the end of an era.
Interestingly, Gachagua had not spent much time in the Karen residence during his time in office. When he took up the role of Deputy President in 2022, renovations delayed his move into the official residence.
Even after the upgrades were completed, Gachagua preferred to conduct most of his business from a nearby private residence, leaving the official Karen residence underused. This made the task of clearing out the property a bit easier for his team.
Meanwhile, at his office at Harambee House Annex, a similar scene played out. On Friday morning, some of Gachagua’s allies made quiet visits to the office, though their reasons remained undisclosed.
Civil servants were already preparing the office for the transition, signaling that a new occupant would soon take over. Personal belongings, though minimal, were discreetly removed by Gachagua’s aides, marking the final chapter of his time in office.
Security adjustments were also swiftly implemented following Gachagua’s ouster. Officers from the Presidential Escort Unit, previously stationed at his residence, were scaled down as a result of his impeachment.
While some guards remained, the reduced security presence was a clear indication that the leadership change was imminent.
The events of the night were soon the subject of lively discussions on social media, with many Kenyans making light of the swift turn of events, commenting that “the syllabus was moving fast.”
