This marks the culmination of a rushed process, with sources indicating that President Ruto is eager to expedite the process despite existing court orders that throw the state of the ceremony in limbo.
Kithure Kindiki will on Saturday, October 19 be sworn in as the Deputy President of the Republic of Kenya following the impeachment of Rigathi Gachagua by Parliament.
Moses Kuria, a Senior Advisor on President William Ruto’s Council of Economic Advisors, has confirmed that Kindiki will take an oath of office despite court orders that prevented Kindiki from ascending to the second highest office in the land.
In a video shared on X, Kuria was seen inspecting the main arena at Uhuru Gardens, where he stated the swearing-in ceremony would take place.
“Inspecting the site for tomorrow’s swearing-in of H.E Kithure Kindiki, 3rd Deputy President under the 2010 Katiba,” he captioned the video, which was posted on his X account at 4:40 PM on Friday, October 18, 2024.
Inspecting the site for tomorrow swearing in of H.E Kithure Kundiki, 3rd Deputy President under the 2010 Katiba. pic.twitter.com/ZrKm7f4Mpb
— Hon.Moses Kuria,HSC (@HonMoses_Kuria) October 18, 2024
Kuria further indicated that the ceremony would be streamed live. “Sasa hapa tuko na sherehe tunaapisha professor Abraham na itakua live,” he said in the video.
He however cautioned that the ceremony will be a limited affair as compared to that of President William Ruto on September 13, 2022, with “Limited seating capacity. Limited invitation cards.”
This marks the culmination of a rushed process, with sources indicating that President Ruto is eager to expedite the process despite existing court orders that throw the state of the ceremony in limbo.
Kindiki’s ascension will make him the country’s 13th Vice President and the third under the 2010 Constitution. Before 2010, the appointment of the Vice President was often influenced by power brokers or left to the President’s discretion, with incumbents facing the constant threat of being sidelined, fired, or forced out.
The role has long been characterised by intense political manoeuvring, and Gachagua’s turbulent 766-day tenure was no exception.
Having served as Interior Cabinet Secretary twice in President Ruto’s reign, Kindiki by now knows the workings of national governance off-head. The National Assembly approved his nomination on Friday, with 236 MPs voting overwhelmingly in favour of the appointment, following a minor technical glitch that required a second round of electronic voting.
“Honourable members, the vote of the nominate of Professor Kithure Kindiki to fill the vacancy of the office of the deputy president of the Republic of Kenya is as follows, abstentions are nil, no is nil and ayes are 236, the vote is overwhelming yes,” Speaker Moses Wetangula declared.
No Public Participation?
Wetangula on Friday clarified that Parliament would not conduct public participation in the process to install Kindiki as the next Deputy President, citing Article 149 of the Constitution required the National Assembly to vote on the nomination to fill the vacancy in the Office of the Deputy President, a process which he claimed was considered an election.
He noted that, whenever the National Assembly convened its meetings to conduct an election, such as the election of the Speaker or the Deputy Speaker as mandated under Article 106, parliamentarians proceeded directly to vote without public participation.
He emphasized that since Article 149 stipulated a vote on the nomination of the Deputy President, the requirement for public participation therefore did not apply in the case of Kindiki’s selection.
Despite the impending swearing-in, the political storm surrounding Gachagua’s removal shows no signs of slowing down. The former Deputy President, currently admitted to Karen Hospital with “intense chest pains,” has taken legal action to challenge his ouster, with his hospitalisation adding an extra layer of complexity to an already tense atmosphere as he battles to retain his position and prevent Kindiki from taking his place.
Rigathi Gachagua and Kithure Kindiki at a past event. /FILE