Deputy President nominee Prof Kithure Kindiki is a man to watch as he inches a step closer to achieving a dream that stopped in 2022.[โฆ]CLICK HERE TO READ THE FULL ARTICLEโถ
He was one of the two persons Ruto was set to pick as his running mate following a rigorous vetting process, in 2022.
In the run up to the 2022 general election, MPs from Mt Kenya allied to then UDA presidential aspirant William Ruto recommended to him the person that would be his running mate.
The selection committee favoured the current Interior and National Administration Cabinet Secretary Kithure Kindiki. At the time, he was the outgoing Senator of Tharaka Nithi County.
Some of the reasons cited for picking him were his loyalty, temperament, experience, and public record.
However, Ruto ultimately settled on Rigathi Gachagua who was a first term MP for Mathira, as his running mate.
After he won the presidency, Ruto appointed Kindiki the Interior and National Administration CS.
With the impeachment of Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua, that missed opportunity to become the countryโs second-in-command has once again knocked on his door.
President William Ruto has nominated him to be Kenyaโs third Deputy President, under the Constitution of Kenya, 2010.
His name has also been forwarded to the National Assembly, which is expected to debate and vote to approve his ascent to the position.
This comes even as other names had been thrown into the ring including Prime Cabinet Secretary Musalia Mudavadi, Kirinyaga Governor Anne Waiguru, her Murangโa counterpart Irungu Kangโ ata and National Assembly Majority leader Kimani Ichungโwah, among others.
Before this role, he served as the Senator for Tharaka Nithi County, Majority leader and Deputy Speaker of the Senate between 2013 and 2022, before he announced his exit from elective politics.
This decision was at the request of Ruto who asked him to drop his gubernatorial bid for Tharaka Nithi county.
He would later on helped draft the Kenya Kwanza coalitionโs power-sharing agreement, as Ruto looked for allies to strengthen his position to win the presidency.
On July 11, 2024, President William Ruto dismissed his entire Cabinet save for Prime Cabinet Secretary Musalia Mudavadi.
In his reconstitution, over half of the Cabinet was dismissed while the other half was reappointed by with new responsibilities.
Kindiki, however, remained in the Interior and National Administration Ministry.
According to analysts, this was a show of the confidence the Head of State has in Kindikiโs leadership.
The Interior ministry forms the core of government and is responsible for maintaining internal security, overseeing National registration services, as well as managing immigration policies and coordinating National Government functions.
It also manages the Kenya prisons and probation services.
During his time here, the President tasked Kindiki with overseeing emergency service operations when tragedy hit the country, especially during flooding.
He also oversaw operations in ensuring security in bandit and terror prone areas in the countryโฆCLICK HERE TO READ MORE ARTICLES>>>
