After the Senate upheld Rigathi Gachagua's impeachment late Thursday night, President William Ruto nominated Interior Cabinet Secretary Kithure Kindiki, 52, as the next Deputy President. Kindiki&039;s name was submitted to the National Assembly where MPs are expected to vote on it.
Gachagua, 59, was on Thursday, October 17, impeached despite being admitted to a hospital in the capital, Nairobi.
ALSO READ: Ruto nominates Kindiki as next DP, Gachagua challenges impeachment decision in court
Meanwhile, in a last-minute effort to regain his office, Kenyan media reports that Gachagua has moved to court to stop President Ruto from nominating a person to fill the vacancy of the office of Deputy President.
Speaker Moses Wetang'ula announced the appointment in a special Sitting convened on Friday. "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," Wetang'ula announced.
Who is Kindiki?
The Interior and National Administration Cabinet Secretary is being described – in sections of Kenyan media – as a public servant and Professor of Law with a stellar track record and extensive experience in public administration, governance, public policy, lawmaking, legal advisory and constitutional affairs at municipal and international levels.
Kindiki was appointed Interior Cabinet Secretary in 2022.
He is, among others, reported to be the only Cabinet Secretary who has maintained the docket he was appointed to even after the Cabinet was dissolved and reconstituted this year.
Kindiki was Ruto’s lawyer as the latter faced charges at the International Criminal Court nearly 10 years ago.
Born on July 16, 1972, in Irunduni village, Tharaka Constituency – one of three constituencies in Tharaka-Nithi County, the father of three holds a Bachelor of Laws (LL.B) degree from Moi University, a Postgraduate Diploma in Law from the Kenya School of Law, a Master of Laws (LL.M) degree, and a Doctorate (Ph.D.) in International Law from the University of Pretoria in South Africa.
Before he joined politics, Kindiki who began his career as an Assistant Lecturer in Law at Moi University immediately upon graduating with an undergraduate degree in law taught and held various administrative positions at Moi University School of Law and the University of Nairobi School of Law.
He joined the University of Nairobi as a Lecturer after graduating with a PhD in International Law and quickly rose to the Head of Department of Public Law at the age of 33.
He was named Associate Dean at the age of 35 and promoted to the post of Associate Professor of Law at Kenyatta University.
Kindiki who is also an Advocate of the High Court of Kenya, with 21 years of experience representing clients in national and international courts, is a 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).
Before his appointment to Cabinet, he served as the Senator for Tharaka Nithi County, one of the 47 counties of the country which was created from Kenya's Eastern Province, from 2013 to 2022.
Between 2013 and 2017, he doubled up as Senate Majority Leader and from 2017, he doubled up as Senate Deputy Speaker. As reported, in his role as Senate Majority Leader, he spearheaded the legislative agenda of the Majority Party in the Senate and served as the leader of the Majority Party.