Lawyers during former Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua's case / ScreengrabThe judgement in the case involving former Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua is expected to conclude at around 6:42 pm, according to Kiambu Senator Karungo wa Thang'wa.
Thang’wa, who was present during the proceedings, offered a running estimate of the timeline based on the pace of the court session.
He said that the judges appeared to be reading at roughly one page per minute, based on his observation of the proceedings.
Karungo noted that, at that rate, the lengthy ruling could stretch well into the evening.
“A little courtroom math for those waiting outside: The three-judge bench is reading a 350-page judgment and they are taking turns, with each Judge appearing to read at roughly the same speed. They began at 12:47 pm. By now - 4:10 pm, about 203 minutes have passed and, by my estimate, they have covered around 200 pages,” he said.
“That means their reading speed is approximately: 200 pages ÷ 203 minutes = almost 1 page per minute. At that pace, the remaining 150 pages would take about 152 more minutes (2 hours 32 minutes). Projected finishing time: around 6:42 pm.”
He, however, said that the duration of the proceedings remained uncertain depending on the final sections of the ruling.
“For perspective, a typical legal judgment page contains roughly 300 words. A 350-page judgment could therefore contain around 105,000 words. That is longer than many full-length novels,” he observed.
“So yes, this could be one of the longest waits or the shortest wait, depending on what is written in the final pages. Math says: approximately 6:42 pm. So 7 pm news it is! May Justice prevail.”
Earlier, security was beefed up outside Milimani Law Courts ahead of the ruling.
Officials at the court said they had reports that Gachagua’s supporters would flock the area and make things difficult for them in terms of security, hence the decision to deploy more personnel.
Anti-riot police were mobilised and deployed outside the court as others screened visitors.
A three-judge bench will deliver its long-awaited judgment in the impeachment case filed by former deputy president Gachagua.
All eyes will be on the High Court judges as they deliver their judgment on the case nearly 20 months after Gachagua’s impeachment.
It will determine whether the court upholds or overturns the Senate’s decision to remove him from office.
Gachagua is challenging the legality and constitutionality of the impeachment process, arguing that he was denied a fair hearing and that the proceedings failed to meet the constitutional threshold required for his removal.
The matter will be determined by a bench comprising Justices Eric Ogola, Anthony Mrima and Frida Mugambi.
