Prof Kindiki makes history as first CS from Tharaka Nithi County

Former Tharaka Nithi Senator Abraham Kithure Kindiki has broken the glass ceiling to become the first Cabinet Secretary from Tharaka Nithi County since independence.

The professor of international law was on Tuesday appointed by President William Ruto to the powerful Ministry of Interior and Coordination of National Government taking over from Dr Fred Matiang’i.

Tharaka Nithi leaders led by Governor Muthomi Njuki, Woman Representative Susan Ngugi, Tharaka MP Gitonga Murugara and his Chuka/Igambang’ombe constituency counterpart Patrick Munene congratulated Prof Kindiki while lauding President Ruto for considering the region.

“We congratulate Prof Kindiki and President Ruto for honouring the promise of giving our son a powerful position in his government,” said Mr Njuki.

The leaders expressed confidence that Prof Kindiki was up to the task and that Dr Ruto had constituted a ‘very’ balanced Cabinet.

Mr Murugara said although Prof Kindiki is humble and soft-spoken, he will firmly handle the sensitive docket that involves ensuring the safety of Kenyans internally.

Agriculture Docket

They also thanked President Ruto for the appointment of former Meru Senator Mithika Linturi to the Agriculture docket and former National Assembly Speaker Justin Muturi as the Attorney-General.

Former Tharaka MP candidate Sabastian Mwangangi said Prof Kindiki will remain in the history books as the first person to bring a Cabinet Secretary flag in Tharaka Nithi County and specifically the Tharaka.

Prof Kindiki was running for governorship in Tharaka Nithi County until February when President Ruto asked him to shelve his ambitions and join him in the national campaigns promising to give him a ‘very’ powerful position a move that was not well received by most of the residents.

The locals expected President Ruto to consider Prof Kindiki for the running mate position which he narrowly lost to Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua despite receiving an endorsement from most of the Kenya Kwanza Alliance leadership.

The decision by President Ruto to consider former Mathira MP as his running mate seemed to disappoint Prof Kindiki and a big section of Mt Kenya leaders.

Express disappointment

Back in Prof Kindiki’s county, angry residents held demonstrations to express disappointment with President Ruto for failing to pick their son.

In Nairobi, Prof Kindiki held a press briefing and announced that he had taken a break from active politics and that he was not ready for even an appointment position.

When the electioneering period came, President Ruto picked Prof Kindiki as his chief agent the role that he performed excellently painting a picture of a very thorough person.

When the Azimio la Umoja One Kenya Coalition moved to the Supreme Court to challenge Ruto’s victory, Prof Kindiki was among the key lawyers who successfully defended the victory and the apex court upheld the announcement by the Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC).

The 50-year-old Prof Kindiki who comes from Irunduni village in Tharaka constituency made a triumphant entry into politics from the world of academia in 2013, outshining veterans and becoming the Senate majority leader, a position he held for five years.

Second term

In retired President Uhuru Kenyatta’s second term, he was given the Senate deputy-Speaker position, which he held until 2020, when he was impeached after Jubilee leaders split.

Prof Kindiki holds a master’s degree in international human rights law and democracy and a PhD in international law, both from the University of Pretoria in South Africa.

He was first thrown into the limelight when Dr Ruto appointed him to his legal team in his crimes against humanity case at the International Criminal Court in The Hague.

On January 31, 2015, the revered Ameru Njuri Ncheke Council of Elders blessed and installed Prof Kindiki as the community spokesperson claiming that his star was shining most in the region.

That designation gave him the power and responsibility of speaking on behalf of the Ameru community, especially in the national arena.
Political pundits argue that Prof Kindiki is the second most powerful person in the Mt Kenya region after Deputy President Gachagua.