President Ruto Nominates Kindiki as New Deputy President. 

President William Ruto has nominated Prof. Kithure Kindiki to take over as Deputy President, following the impeachment of former Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua. The announcement was made on Friday by National Assembly Speaker Moses Wetangula.

In his communication to the House, Wetangula stated, “Pursuant to the provisions of Standing Order 42(1), I wish to report that I have received a message from the President regarding the nomination of Kithure Kindiki to fill the vacancy in the Deputy President’s office.”

Currently serving as the Cabinet Secretary for Interior and National Administration, Prof. Kindiki’s nomination must be approved by the National Assembly within 60 days. Upon approval, he will be formally appointed by the President.

Kindiki, 52, hails from Irunduni village in Tharaka Nithi County. He attended Irunduni Primary School and Lenana School before earning a law degree from the University of Nairobi. He furthered his education with a Master’s and a PhD from the University of Pretoria. Before entering politics, he was a law lecturer at Moi and Nairobi universities and had stints as a visiting lecturer abroad.

His public service career began in 2008 when he was appointed Secretary for the National Cohesion and Reconciliation outfit by the late President Mwai Kibaki. He resigned after three months, citing insufficient political will to assist victims of the 2007 post-election violence.

Kindiki gained national prominence as part of Ruto’s legal team during the International Criminal Court (ICC) trial concerning crimes against humanity. This exposure propelled him into politics, where he successfully contested the Senate seat for Tharaka Nithi in 2013 under the TNA party, serving two terms and rising to Deputy Speaker.

His political journey faced challenges amid escalating tensions between President Uhuru Kenyatta and Deputy President Ruto, leading to his eventual impeachment from the Senate. Recently, he has served as Cabinet Secretary in Ruto’s government.

Gachagua’s impeachment followed a rigorous two-day Senate process, where five of the eleven grounds for his removal, including gross violations of the Constitution, were upheld.