Kenya's President William Ruto has notified the National Assembly that he has nominated Interior Cabinet Secretary Kithure Kindiki as Deputy President to replace Rigathi Gachagua, who was removed from office by impeachment on Thursday, October 17. Prof Kindiki is the only Cabinet Secretary who has maintained the docket he was appointed to since September 2022 even after the Cabinet was dissolved and reconstituted this year. The Interior Cabinet Secretary is considered non-antagonistic and has acceptability across the political divide. His long-standing relationship with President Ruto will also be an advantage, having been his lawyer while he was facing charges at the International Criminal Court. He told the people of Tharaka Nithi, Prof Kindiki’s backyard, that the Interior CS had simply “missed the chance to be deputy president by a whisker.”His nomination to replace Mr Gachagua as deputy president therefore comes as no surprise to many in UDA and Kenya Kwanza Alliance circles.

Source: Daily Nation October 18, 2024 09:14 UTC