The Kenya Parliament approved Kithure Kindiki as the new deputy president after the impeachment of Rigathi Gachagua on Thursday.
The 52-year-old former law professor has been serving as President William Ruto’s interior minister for a couple of years now.
He holds a master’s degree and a PhD from the University of Pretoria in South Africa, with over 30 publications to his name.
He is highly experienced in public policy, governance, law-making, and constitutional affairs at various levels.
He served as the Senate majority leader for five years after being elected senator in March 2013.
He was re-elected in 2017 and served as the chamber’s deputy speaker until 2020 when he was sacked in a purge of Ruto’s allies.
He was in charge of security and handled the response to the protests that started in June.
Over 40 fatalities occurred during clashes with law enforcement, with at least 300 others sustaining injuries.
However, Kindiki praised the officers for displaying “restraint” in maintaining law and order. He also stated that no shoot-to-kill orders were given.
Public got really angry about his stance, with rights groups demanding justice for victims and those who were abducted under strange circumstances.
Kindiki made it clear he’s got the president’s back in his response to the demonstrations and managed to stay on as a minister.
No surprises here. He’s been the president’s ally for years, ever since he served as his lawyer in that ICC case ages ago.
Ruto, back when he was just an MP, got accused of crimes against humanity for the violence after the 2007 election where over 1,200 people died.
In the end, they let go of the case ‘cause there wasn’t enough evidence, but prosecutors claimed witnesses were intimidated.
The Nairobi High Court has suspended Kindiki’s swearing-in pending a case on Gachagua’s removal from office.
If Gachagua’s sacking is upheld, Kindiki is expected to be a more loyal deputy.
