Kenyan President William Ruto has nominated Interior Minister Kithuri Kindiki as the country’s new Deputy President following the historic impeachment of Rigathi Gachagua.
This development comes after the Senate found Gachagua guilty of five out of 11 charges, including “gross violation” of the constitution, on Thursday.
Gachagua, who was Ruto’s running mate in the 2022 election, had been accused of threatening judges and practicing ethnically divisive politics. Despite his absence due to health issues, the Senate proceeded with the impeachment trial, rejecting his legal team’s appeal to delay the hearings.
“The Senate has resolved to remove from office, by impeachment, his excellency Rigathi Gachagua, the deputy president of the Republic of Kenya,” Senate speaker Amason Kingi said after the vote on the floor of the Senate.
“Accordingly, His Excellency Rigathi Gachagua ceases to hold office.”
Gachagua has denied all charges and plans to fight the impeachment in court.
“This is what we call political deceit, conmanship, and betrayal,” Gachagua had said of the process, insisting that it violated the will of Kenyans who voted for the Ruto-Gachagua ticket in the 2022 election.
The impeachment of Gachagua marks a significant turning point in Kenyan politics. He is the first deputy president to be impeached since the country’s revised constitution was introduced in 2010. His downfall is attributed to a bitter falling out with President Ruto, whom he helped win the election by rallying support from the crucial Mount Kenya region.
Meanwhile, President Ruto on Friday nominated the 52-year-old academic-turned-politician Kithuri Kindiki to replace Gachagua as Deputy President. He was sworn in on Friday in Nairobi.
Kindiki is the current Interior Minister and has served for over two years. However, his appointment was also met with controversy, particularly regarding his alleged role in police brutality during anti-government protests earlier this year.
Mr. Kindiki may have been rewarded for his hard stance against the protesters, just as Gachagua may have been the arch-beneficiary if the “RUTO MUST GO” protesters had their way.
Meanwhile, President Ruto has not publicly commented on the matter, but Gachagua believes the impeachment process couldn’t have proceeded without his boss’s blessing.
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