NAIROBI: Kenya’s Parliament unanimously voted on Friday to support President William Ruto’s nomination of Kithure Kindiki as the new deputy president, following the historic impeachment of Rigathi Gachagua.
Kindiki, a 52-year-old academic turned political heavyweight, was a leading candidate for the position after the Senate voted to remove Gachagua on Thursday during a dramatic session that captivated the nation. Gachagua’s impeachment marked a significant event in Kenya, a country generally seen as a stable democracy in a tumultuous region.
The swift developments continued on Friday, with National Assembly Speaker Moses Wetangula announcing Ruto’s choice of Kindiki in the morning. Later that day, parliamentarians voted 236 in favor of the nomination, with no abstentions or opposing votes. “The vote is overwhelmingly ‘yes,’ and so the nomination is hereby declared passed by the house,” Wetangula stated.
Kindiki is now the deputy president-elect but must still be formally appointed by the president and sworn in. He has served as interior minister in Ruto’s government for over two years, though he faced criticism over alleged police brutality during the anti-government protests that occurred earlier this year.
The Senate proceeded with Gachagua’s impeachment on Thursday, finding him guilty of five out of the eleven charges against him, despite his absence due to hospitalization. Gachagua is the first deputy president to be impeached since the process was established in Kenya’s revised 2010 constitution.
He was rushed to a hospital in Nairobi with chest pains, which disrupted the session. The Senate rejected a request from Gachagua’s legal team to postpone the hearings, leading the lawyers to walk out in protest.
On Friday, Kenya’s The Standard newspaper featured Gachagua’s image with the headline “Fired.” The National Assembly had previously voted overwhelmingly for Gachagua’s impeachment on October 8. He is currently at Karen Hospital for tests and observation, with chief cardiologist Dan Gikonyo reporting that his condition is stable.
