President William Ruto has nominated Interior and National Administration CS Kithure Kindiki as Deputy President nominee today.
This follows the impeachment of former DP Rigathi Gachagua at the Senate Assembly.
Kindiki has been serving as Cabinet Secretary since September 2022. Since the fallout between Ruto and his former deputy began, Kindiki has been given an oversight role in the government, which makes him the President’s right-hand man.
Kindiki was part of Ruto’s defense team at the International Criminal Court (ICC). Their relationship goes back to 2011/12, and today’s nomination, thus, didn’t come as a shocker to many.
The Announcement
Speaker Moses Masika Wetang’ula announced in Parliament on Oct 18, 2024.
“I have received a message from the president on the nomination of Professor Kithure Kindiki to fill the vacancy in the office of the Deputy President of the Republic of Kenya,” he said.
Education and Law Career
Kindiki holds an undergraduate degree in Law (LL.B) from Moi University. He then completed a Postgraduate Diploma in Law from the Kenya School of Law.
Immediately upon graduating with an undergraduate Degree in Law, he became an Assistant Lecturer in Law at Moi University.
The father of three then undertook a Masters of Laws (LL.M) degree, and a Doctorate (Ph.D.) from the International Law from the University of Pretoria in South Africa.
Kindiki then moved to the University of Nairobi (UON) as a Lecturer upon completion of his PhD from South Africa.
Within a short time, he quickly rose to the Head of Department of Public Law at the young age of 33. At 35, he was named Associate Dean.
Public Service Career
Before joining politics, he taught law and held various administrative positions at Moi University School of Law and the University of Nairobi School of Law.
His peers in the public service have described him as a public servant and Professor with a passion for leadership and the law.
He has a stellar track record in public administration, governance, public policy, lawmaking, legal advisory, and constitutional affairs. His experience is vast, from municipal to country and international levels.
Born in 1972, the Professor of Law has become quite a household name in Kenyan politics.
He served as the Secretary of National Cohesion under former President Mwai Kibaki.
Political Career Highlights
- Between 2013 and 2017, he served as the Tharaka Nithi Senator and also doubled up as Senate Majority Leader and leader of the Majority Party.
- He clinched the seat again in 2017, and in this period, he doubled up as Senate Deputy Speaker.
- In the Ruto administration, he was nominated as an Interior and National Administration CS.
- He is an author with 35 publications to his name. They include books, chapters, and articles in local and international law and leadership journals.
- Kindiki is an Advocate of the High Court of Kenya and the International Criminal Court (ICC).
- The Professor of Law is a certified member of the Academic Council on the United Nations System (ACUNS), the International Association for the Study on Forced Migration (IASFM), the International Commission of Jurists (ICJ), the East African Law Society (EALS), and the Law Society of Kenya (LSK).
The Legal Follow-Up
After Gachagua’s impeachment, the law states that within 14 following a vacancy in the DPs office, the President shall nominate a person to fill the vacancy.
The National Assembly shall vote on the nomination within 60 days of receiving it. The person will then be declared elected by the Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC).
The elected DP shall then be sworn in before the Chief Justice and in public.
On this Friday morning Prof Kindiki’s name was floated by President Ruto as the DP nominee. This sets up the stage for the National Assembly to make a vote.
