Kenyan President William Ruto on Friday nominated his Interior Minister, Kithuri Kindiki, as deputy to replace Rigathi Gachagua, who was sacked in a historic impeachment.
Kindiki, a 52-year-old academic turned political heavyweight, emerged as a frontrunner for the position following Gachagua’s removal by the Senate late Thursday after a day filled with drama.
Gachagua’s impeachment, the first of a deputy president since the revised 2010 constitution, captured the nation’s attention, highlighting Kenya’s reputation as a stable democracy in a turbulent region.
The unfolding events continued rapidly on Friday as National Assembly Speaker Moses Wetangula announced Ruto’s selection of Kindiki and urged parliament to proceed with the confirmation vote.
Having served as interior minister for over two years, Kindiki faced criticism for alleged police brutality during deadly anti-government protests earlier this year.
The Senate moved forward with Gachagua’s impeachment, finding him guilty of five out of eleven charges despite his absence from the proceedings. Gachagua, 59, was unable to testify in his defense due to being hospitalized in a Nairobi suburb, which caused chaos in the session.
The Senate rejected a request from Gachagua’s legal team to postpone the hearings, leading to their walkout in protest.
Kenyan newspapers prominently covered the impeachment, with The Standard running a headline stating “Fired” alongside an image of Gachagua, while The Nation referred to it as “the night of long knives that sealed Gachagua’s fate.”
His removal marks a significant fallout with Ruto, who Gachagua supported in the tightly contested 2022 election, particularly by rallying support from the influential Mount Kenya region.
The National Assembly had previously voted overwhelmingly for Gachagua’s impeachment on October 8.
Gachagua was admitted to Karen Hospital for chest pains and is expected to remain there for 48 to 72 hours for tests and observation, according to chief cardiologist Dan Gikonyo, who described his condition as stable.
He was found guilty of “gross violation” of the constitution, including threatening judges and promoting ethnically divisive politics, but cleared of charges such as corruption and money laundering. Gachagua has denied all allegations, and no criminal proceedings have been initiated against him.
He has the option to challenge the impeachment in court, although previous attempts to halt the process before the Senate vote were unsuccessful.
A powerful businessman from the Kikuyu tribe, Gachagua—known as “Riggy G”—overcame past corruption scandals to become Ruto’s deputy in the 2022 elections. However, he has recently expressed feelings of being sidelined by the president and has faced accusations of supporting youth-led anti-government protests that erupted in June.
While Ruto has not publicly commented on the impeachment, Gachagua has suggested that the process could not have proceeded without the president’s approval.
