National Assembly Speaker Moses Wetang'ula has quashed efforts by Tetu MP Geoffrey Wandeto to withdraw his signature on the impeachment motion against Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua.

Speaker Wetang'ula acknowledged on Tuesday that Mr Wandeto had written to him, requesting to backtrack his earlier support for the motion.

While opening the debate on the impeachment on the floor of the House, he said that the National Assembly’s Standing Orders do not allow an MP to withdraw a signature appended on a special motion.

“Members, before I open the debate, I received a letter from Hon Wandeto purporting to withdraw his signature. I want to invite the Hon Member to read the Standing Orders that are very clear,” Wetangula said.

“Once you append a signature to a special motion you have crossed the Rubicon, and you cannot withdraw that signature,” he added.

Mr Wandeto is among four(4) MPs from Nyeri County who recently made a U-turn and vowed to oppose the impeachment motion.

Apart from Mukurwe-ini MP John Kaguchia who had from the onset declined to append his signature to the ouster motion, the rest of the MPs from Nyeri County made their endorsement by signing into it.

MPs Wandeto, Njoroge Wainaina (Kieni), Eric Wamumbi (Mathira), Duncan Mathenge (Nyeri Town), Wambugu Wainaina (Othaya), and Nyeri Woman Representative Rahab Mukami had appended their signatures to the ouster motion.

But on Thursday last week, Mr Wandeto, Mr Wainaina, and Ms Mukami publicly backtracked on their earlier decision.

The trio said they arrived at the decision to defend DP Gachagua against the ongoing impeachment proceedings after keenly consulting their electorates.

Mr Wandeto said the people of Tetu are against the motion that, if passed by the National Assembly and Senate, could see Mr Gachagua losing his seat as the country’s second-in-command.

“When I consulted my people about the motion, they said it was not a priority at this time but focus should be directed towards other important priorities. As a representative of the people, it is imperative for us to listen to them and do what they have asked us. On Tuesday, I will be voting ‘NO’,” said Wandeto.

On her part, Mukami called on President William Ruto and his deputy Gachagua to iron out their differences so as to avert further proceedings of the motion.

“After a lot of soul-searching and going through the details of the motion, I have realized that this is something that our deputy president can iron out with the President. I have listened to the ground and the people of Nyeri have said it clearly that they don’t want the Deputy President to be removed from office. Kenya is bigger than an individual and it belongs to all of us,” the woman representative said.

Wainaina said: “I want to make a personal commitment that I will go with the decision of the people of Kieni who have said NO to the motion. An MP has never had the final say on matters pertaining to the country”.

Nyeri is the backyard to the DP.

DP Gachagua’s impeachment motion was tabled on the floor of the National Assembly on October 1 by Kibwezi West MP Mwengi Mutuse.

A total of 291 out of 345 MPs appended their signatures in support of the motion.