A courtroom at Milimani Law Courts broke into unexpected laughter after lawyer Elisha Ongoya made an unusual and bold comparison mid-proceedings.
While defending Rigathi Gachagua, Ongoya likened the former Deputy President’s legal challenges to the biblical trial of Jesus Christ.
He also compared it to the trials of other historical figures such as Sir Thomas Moore and Greek philosopher Socrates. The dramatic analogy caught the audience off guard, turning a tense political moment into a brief scene of amusement.
“I have reflected on a number of unjust trials in human history. The trial of Sir Thomas Moore, Socrates and Jesus Christ. One element characterises these trials: they are trials carried out with predetermined outcomes. Those taken through the trials are taken through the motions for the sake of it,” he said.
Elisha Ongoya: I have reflected on a number of unjust trials in human history. The trial of Sir Thomas Moore, Socrates and Jesus Christ. One element characterizes these trials: they are trials carried out with predetermined outcomes. Those taken through the trials are taken… pic.twitter.com/Flgof5R7IE
— KTN News (@KTNNewsKE) April 27, 2026
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Ongoya added in part, "The motions that the first petitioner was taken through at the National Assembly and the Senate of Kenya passed the test of malicious compliance. The dangers of allowing malicious compliance to go unaddressed is that it injects an irredeemable legitimacy gap in the constitutional processes.”
This was during the hearing of a petition challenging the former Deputy President’s impeachment.
Gachagua is seeking to have the impeachment nullified, his tenure affirmed, and full benefits awarded, arguing that the process was unconstitutional.
In his legal challenge, the DCP party leader argued that his removal from office was unlawful and ignored the rules set by the Constitution.
He claimed the process was full of mistakes, failed to follow proper legal protections, and prevented him from having a fair chance to defend himself.
The case also looks at the choices made while he was in office and after he left.
His lawyers argued that these actions were driven by politics rather than the law.
Meanwhile, various groups and government agencies are involved in the case, asking the court to pause certain decisions and debating how much power Parliament and the Senate should have when removing a leader.
Kenyans on social media reacted overwhelmingly to the analogy by Ongoya, with some circling back to the past Senate hearing sessions in which he equally tickled Kenyans with his submissions.