Deputy President: Ruto Nominates Kithure Kindiki To Replace Rigathi Gachagua
This is as former Deputy President Gachagua's legal team on Friday morning, October 18 moved to court to challenge the impeachment.
Marvin Chege 
President William Ruto has nominated Interior Cabinet Secretary (CS) Kithure Kindiki as the Deputy President of the Republic of Kenya.
Kindiki's name has been forwarded to the National Assembly, aiming to replace Rigathi Gachagua who was impeached by the Senate on Thursday.
The announcement was made on Friday morning, October 18 by Speaker Moses Wetangula in a communication to the National Assembly.
"Pursuant to the provisions of Standing Order 42(1), I wish to report to the House that today morning, I have received a message from the President regarding the nomination of Kithure Kindiki to fill the vacancy which has occurred in the Office of the Deputy President of the Republic of Kenya following the impeachment of the previous office holder," stated Wetangula.
Prof. Kindiki, currently serving as Cabinet Secretary for Interior and National Administration, will require approval from the National Assembly before assuming the role of Deputy President. The Assembly must vote on the nomination within 60 days of receiving the name.
President William Ruto and Prof. Kithure Kindiki at State House, Nairobi. /PCS
Once approved, the nominee will be formally appointed by the President as his deputy. Although the Constitution does not specify a timeframe for this appointment, it is expected to occur immediately after Parliament's approval.
Look Back
Recently, Kindiki amassed a significant endorsement of 48 elected leaders from the Mt Kenya region and the diaspora as their kingpin over Gachagua, a move which could still dramatically tip the scales in the 2027 general elections. In political terms, a kingpin refers to a politician who controls the ethnic politics of a region and one must be a kingpin to have realistic chances of winning the presidency in Kenya.
It is also worth noting that Kindiki was also highly considered to be President William Ruto's running mate in the run-up to the 2022 general elections, and was said to have won in both the United Democratic Alliance (UDA) Electoral College and opinion polls conducted to pick Ruto's running mate. The chance was however handed to Gachagua.
Opinion
An opinion poll by Infotrak last week showed that Kindiki was the most preferred Gachagua replacement amongst Kenyans. The poll conducted by Infotrak showed at least 20 per cent of the respondents preferred the Interior CS.
Other big names tipped to replace Gachagua included; Prime Cabinet Secretary Musalia Mudavadi, Kirinyaga Governor Anne Waiguru, Homabay Governor Gladys Wanga, Murang'a Governor Irungu Kang'ata, Kiharu MP Ndindi Nyoro and even opposition leader Raila Odinga.
Previous Experience
Prof Kindiki has been ranked as the highest performing Cabinet Secretary in President Ruto's administration despite the high level of criticism levelled against the current government.
A survey done by Infotrak earlier this year gave the Interior CS a B grade positioning him as the best amongst peers, especially in terms of addressing issues affecting Kenyans. In the survey, the CS was ranked highly in areas of competence, service delivery and communication.
However, the CS came under fire due to the high amount of abductions during the Gen Z demonstrations that rocked Ruto's government in June this year.
The nomination comes merely hours after the Senate voted to impeach Gachagua following a two-day process that involved extensive evidence and hours of cross-examination.
Gachagua was removed after Senators supported five of the 11 grounds presented for his impeachment key among them gross violation of the Constitution.
Gachagua's Lawyers Move To Challenge Impeachment
This is as former Deputy President Gachagua's legal team on Friday morning, October 18 moved to court to challenge the impeachment.
The legal team led by Senior Counsel Paul Muite faulted the Senate plenary's decision noting that the impeachment took place in the absence of the former deputy president who was a key witness.
