Deputy President Prof Kithure Kindiki takes his oath of office during his swearing-in at Kenyatta International Convention Centre in Nairobi on November 1, 2024.
Deputy President Kithure Kindiki is a man walking a tightrope.
One hundred days into an office that had no handing over and into which he was thrust after the impeachment of Rigathi Gachagua, Prof Kindiki is treading carefully and seems to understand that the office is literally littered with landmines.
He was sworn into office on November 1, 2024, and while Mr Gachagua has since dismissed him as “President William Ruto’s employee who was not elected by the people of Kenya”, the DP is taking no chances in demonstrating that he is his own man.
“I will serve under you and provide you with the assistance and support you require to take this country to the next level. I commit to being loyal and faithful. I will do my best to work hard to lighten the burden you carry on your shoulders,” Prof Kindiki said during his swearing-in.
While Mr Gachagua was abrasive, Prof Kindiki is amiable and careful in his speech. It is, however, this stance that critics say makes him a weaker leader than his predecessor, who has launched an onslaught to consolidate the Mt Kenya vote against President Ruto. Prof Kindiki’s critics like Nyeri Governor Kahiga Mutahi believe that an “appointed” deputy President cannot stand up to the head of state like one who was voted for in a presidential ticket.
The DP has since taken up the role of communicating government projects while inspecting the projects and talking to delegations at his Karen residence.
This is a major departure from Mr Gachagua who, in the last days of his tenure and later after his removal, said he was neither aware nor did he understand government programmes while he complained that his office was not involved in decision making.
Mr Gachagua was also accused by a section of Members of Parliament of being unavailable and failing to provide a link between them as people's representatives and the Government.
Now MPs see the deputy president as their bridge with the executive.
So far, according to the DP’s communication team, Prof Kindiki has had more than 60 meetings, met a total of 250 Members of the National Assembly out of the 349 and 40 Senators out of the 67 senators for sessions and consultation on priority development programmes and projects in their areas.
The DP has also been to 25 counties and has held over 50 meetings, as well as being a key link between the devolved units and the national government in his role as the chairman of the Intergovernmental Budget and Economic Council (IBEC).
When President Ruto spoke during the swearing-in of the DP, he talked of having been “a lone voice in the articulation of government agenda,” saying Mr Gachagua had failed to deliver on his mandate in helping him to run the government.
“Between one election and another, we have work to do. Countries that have delivered development to their people know that it is not possible to play politics forever. You give the government time to work and when an election is called, everyone gets to campaign and convince the people of Kenya based on what they have delivered. It is not possible to politic all the time,” the DP said.
Now referring to himself as the “chief foreman” of President Ruto’s projects, Prof Kindiki says he will not allow the President “to be humiliated” by going to inspect projects that later stall due to lack of funds.
“The President is the symbol of unity in the country and it is not right for him to inspect projects that are later discontinued due to some factors including non-payment of contractors. I and Cabinet secretaries will first make visits and ensure the project is in course, that adequate funds have been allocated and then the President comes in to launch and commission once completed,” he told a delegation of Samburu County leaders at his Karen residence on Friday, January 31.
However, despite the accolades, the big question remains on whether he will truly climb the vote-rich Mt Kenya, with Mr Gachagua seen to have had a head start politically.
Sources within the DP office said immediately upon taking over from Gachagua, President Ruto told his new assistant that all government delivery agenda is in his hands and he must ensure they succeed ahead of the 2027 elections.
Senate Majority leader Aaron Cheruiyot said Prof Kindiki was the anchor that Kenya Kwanza lacked for the last two years.
“Now this is a Deputy President. A proper principal assistant. The anchor man that this administration has terribly lacked in the last two years. The results are beginning to show,” Mr Cheruiyot said last week at the DP’s office.
Eldas MP Aden Keynan says Prof Kindiki has the advantage of a combination of academic excellence, political experience and a conducive political environment, backed by a vision sync with his boss.
“He has acted, behaved and projected himself in a manner that is consistent with both national and on areas that constitute critical issues that support national interest and well-being of every Kenyan that lives in this sovereign country. I’ll score him an A,” Mr Keynan said.
President-in-waiting
Belgut MP Nelson Koech said Prof Kindiki has in a very short time not only changed the face of the DP’s office but has adjusted the expectations of Kenyans to see DP more than an aide to the President but a President-in-waiting.
“Indeed, it is a breath of fresh air to see how DP Kindiki has gone about divorcing the Office of the Deputy President with the sheer toxicity and raw tribalism that the previous holder had come to identify it with as if it is the property of one individual or any community. The DP Residence has roared back to life again as it was in the days of DP Ruto,” Mr Koech said.
He went on: “There is no doubt DP Kindiki understands the role of the Deputy President as the Principal Assistant to the President looking at the way he carries himself with decorum as befitting the office and the solemnity with which he undertakes his mandate.”
On the daunting task of climbing Mt Kenya, Mr Koech said Prof Kindiki will surprise many by uniting not only Mt Kenya as a region but Kenyans at large.
Maara MP Kareke Mbiuki said Prof Kindiki has managed to bring a new face in the DP’s office that has been lacking for the last two years.
“Now we have someone that we can use to push our county agenda. For the last two years, when the previous DP was there, there were not much of development meetings in Karen, but now we see all the 47 county charters being reviewed and progress followed by DP himself,” Mr Mbiuki said.
For now, it seems, Prof Kindiki has been thrown in the deep end to manage the government projects communication, championing the government agenda and explaining key programmes.
He has defended two key controversial projects in President Ruto’s administration – the Universal Healthcare Coverage and affordable housing – saying Kenyans should give the government time to implement them. While the Social Health Insurance Fund (SHIF) is facing challenges with patients and affordable housing that brought about the Housing Levy.
While addressing delegates during the Nyanza International Investment Conference on Friday, February 7, Prof Kindiki said the government would ensure the healthcare programme succeeds. He said while so far at least 18 million Kenyans have been registered in the programme, the target was to enlist at least 40 million Kenyans by 2027.
“This is not a new programme because it started with President Mwai Kibaki and President Uhuru Kenyatta. But because the two leaders did not want to deal with the challenges, they shelved it. However, President Ruto is determined to ensure it succeeds and even if it will be at the cost of our popularity, so be it,” he said.
Calling for unity
Prof Kindiki has also been calling for unity across the country, saying leaders and Kenyans do not have time to waste on constant squabbles, especially within the government.
“We should protect our country from danger and I assure you that the government is now stable and it is time for development. We have spent two years quarrelling and this must stop,” he said.
“It is easier to understand when there are conflicts between the government of the day and the opposition because these are two political formations. But when you have quarrels in the same government, that administration will not deliver. Even the Bible says a kingdom divided cannot stand. We have a lot to do in the next two years and our people will judge us according to the delivery of services,” he added.
In a swipe at his predecessor, the DP has questioned leaders who purport to be “listening to the ground,” saying they were misleading the public. Mr Gachagua has always said he was following what the people say.
“Leaders don’t follow what the people say. They show them the way. It cannot be that your job is to listen to the people complain and then you cry with them. How will you help them if you have no solutions? The work of a leader is to listen and generate solutions to the needs of the people,” the DP told residents of Mbeere North in Embu County on January 5.
“I have seen some people try to teach us what we should do but we are clear on what our responsibilities are. We know our job and we have a roadmap of solving the problems of our people,” he added.
