NAIROBI, Kenya Oct 18- National Assembly Speaker Moses Wetangula has gazetted Kithure Kindiki to fill the vacancy in the Office of the Deputy President following the historic impeachment of Rigathi Gachagua.
Wetangula published the gazette notice following a unanimous vote by MPs in support of President William Ruto’s nominee for the position.
The National Assembly approved Kindiki’s nomination on Friday with 236 MPs present in the House unanimously endorsing him in a roll-call vote.
“It is notified that pursuant to Article 149 (1) as read together with Article 122 of the Constitution of Kenya, National Assembly has at its sitting held on Friday,18th October ,2024 in the National Assembly chamber at Parliament Building voted in favor of the nomination,” the gazette notice read.
Swearing in
The Interior Cabinet Secretary is expected to resign from one of the most influential roles in the Cabinet before taking over as second in command following Rigathi Gachagua’s impeachment.
The law requires Chief Registrar of the Judiciary, Winfrida Boyani, to administer the oath of office to the Deputy President designate in the presence of Chief Justice Martha Koome or the Deputy Chief Justice Philomena Mwilu.
Gachagua made history as the first Deputy President to be impeached under Kenya’s 2010 Constitution after Senate approved his impeachment on Thursday.
The 59-year-old politician, popularly known as “Riggy G,” was convicted by the Senate, which upheld five out of eleven charges against him, brought forward by Kibwezi West MP Mwengi Mutuse.
Kindiki, a soft-spoken lawyer and former Tharaka Nithi Senator, will step into the role of Deputy President amid an anticipated legal dispute to challenge Gachagua’s removal.
Analysts had anticipated that the position would remain within the Mount Kenya region, a crucial base for President Ruto in the 2022 election.
The President’s choice is seen as a move to maintain stability and avoid further discontent in the region following Gachagua’s impeachment.
Kindiki makes history as the first politician from Mount Kenya East to ascend to the second-highest office in the government.
Ruto had considered the law Professor for the role in 2022 when an Electoral College settled on him but President Ruto vetoed the decision amid a looming revolt in Nyeri.
Kindiki is a key ally of the President having been his Chief Presidential Agent in 2022. He served as Senate Majority Leader between 2013 and 2017, before being elected Deputy Speaker after the 2017 General Election.
However, in 2020, he was ousted from his position in the Senate after siding with Ruto during the Jubilee Party’s internal power struggles.
Upon Ruto’s victory in the 2022 general election, Kindiki was appointed Interior Cabinet Secretary.
Source: capitalfm
