From left: Interior CS Kithure Kindiki, Prime Cabinet Secretary Musalia Mudavadi, Kirinyaga governor Anne Waiguru, Muranga governor Irungu Kang’ata and Laikipia East MP Mwangi Kiunjuri.
To the backers of Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua's impeachment motion, now before the Senate, he will be jobless by next Friday despite his intense efforts to defend himself.
As such, jostling and lobbying for his position is in top gear with the list of potential picks narrowing to at least five, down from more than 10 according to insiders.
Although Mr Gachagua is set to face Senators from Wednesday next week with the final vote taken on Thursday, the leaders are already strategically positioning themselves for the position in case the Senate upholds the impeachment and he loses in court also.
Top on the list of those angling for Gachagua’s position is Interior Cabinet Secretary Kithure Kindiki, Murang’a governor Irungu Kang’ata, Kirinyaga governor Anne Waiguru and Laikipia East MP Mwangi Kiunjuri in a clear indication the president is keen to retain the seat in the mountain, where it currently is.
Though an outlier in the larger scheme of things, Prime Cabinet Secretary Musalia Mudavadi is also mentioned as a possible replacement.
Prof Kindiki appears to be the front runner following endorsement by Members of Parliament from Mt Kenya East and elders who endorsed him as the link between the community and the executive.
The Interior CS bring on board the non-antagonistic trait of a leader, acceptability across political divides and long standing relationship with President William Ruto having been his lawyer while he was facing charges at the International Criminal Court (ICC).
Having been endorsed by MPs in the run up to the 2022 elections as Ruto’s running mate, Prof Kindiki is still at a pole position to now get the position.
During the deliberation on Dr Ruto’s running mate, Prof Kindiki received majority support from Mt Kenya region, however, Ruto settled on Mr Gachagua to be his running mate.
“I was in that meeting at Karen, over 90 percent of MPs voted for Prof Kindiki but the President in his own wisdom decided to go with Rigathi and we offered support despite having democratically expressed our preference,” Mr Mbiuki said.
Maara MP Kareke Mbiuki, a Kindiki ally told the Nation that the best suited candidate to replace Mr Gachagua.
“This is a sober guy; he has good chemistry with the President because their friendship dates back many years. He is not abrasive and enjoys support from both the majority and minority side in parliament. He has also been embraced by MPs from both the East and the West,” Mr Mbiuki said.
Prof Kindiki is, however, accused of lacking the political garb to authoritatively speak on behalf of the Mt Kenya people and also lacks mobilisation skills.
He is also seen as coming from a small constituency which might be seen as significant in terms of votes.
For Ms Waiguru, the gender card and being a second-term governor works in her favour at a time when there’s a push to bridge the gender gap in leadership.
She is also likely to face opposition in parliament during vetting as MPs currently have a frosty relationship with the Council of Governors (CoG) following the declaration that the Constituency Development Fund is illegal.
The lawmakers while commenting on the ruling said the CoG had a hand in the ruling which happened during Waiguru’s tenure.
Ms Waiguru is also seen as abrasive in her style of leadership just like Mr Gachagua.
For Mr Irungu Kang’ata, those fronting him argue that he comes from vote-rich Murang’a County with over 650,000 registered voters which cannot be ignored by President Ruto who still has second term campaigns to deal with.
He is also seen as a person with a conciliatory tone and interpersonal skills.
Mr Kang’ata is also seen as among the first MPs who assisted the President when he started making forays in Mt Kenya region in 2014 while Kindiki was also part of the sky team.
His political rise from being a Member of County Assembly, MP, senator and now governor makes him a grassroot person who can be relied upon for political mobilization and appeasing in the mountain upon the conclusion of the impeachment of Mr Gachagua.
When contacted, Mr Kang’ata stated "I am busy giving out certified hybrid seeds and fertiliser. Thanks for your inquiry."
He added that his preoccupation now is steering Murang’a to greater heights.
Mr Kang’ata is however seen as a person with no political muscle beyond Murang’a in addition, he also has no national outlook.
Mr Kiunjuri on the other hand is coming on board due to his deep understanding of the Kikuyu culture, folklore, political terrain and experience.
He has also served in government both in the Kibaki government and Uhuru Kenyatta’s cabinet where he served as Cabinet Secretary for agriculture and Devolution.
The fact he also won his seat with his little and unknown The Party of Service (TSP) beating the strong wave of the United Democratic Alliance (UDA) is also a strength being weighed.
For Mr Mudavadi, the argument being fronted by political analysts is that President Ruto has already angered the mountain and he might not get the same support he got in 2022 whether he gave them back the position or not.
Due to this, the President would rather gamble and give the position to the Western region and secure a block for his 2022 re-election bid.
Mr Mudavadi is, however, criticised for failing to galvanise the entire Western region where opposition leader Raila Odinga still enjoys massive support.
Sources however indicate that President Ruto is not keen to lose the entire Mt Kenya region at this moment fearing that fighting the region as a whole may be a political blunder that he is not ready for now.
Just like Mr Kiunjuri, Mr Kang’ata is among those seen as the person that can mend the relationship of the President with the Mt Kenya region.
“My CV is outstanding, I was born in Tetu, Nyeri county with roots in Kieni where my parents live now. I am a 7th ranking member nationally given the many terms I have served in parliament and the first one from the larger mountain. What would the president be looking for? A ground mobiliser, a people’s person who can consolidate the mountain in the shortest time possible,” Mr Kiunjuri said.
Kiambu is reported to be totally out of the equation over arguments that the region has already produced two Presidents-Jomo Kenyatta and Uhuru Kenyatta. This therefore locks out current majority leader Kimani Ichung’wah from the coveted position.
Mbeere North MP Geoffrey Ruku however said they would not want to blackmail the president over the position of the Deputy President saying it’s the Head of State who knows the best candidate.
“We do not want to blackmail the President on who he should appoint, it’s him who knows who can be his Personal Assistant, we will support whoever he chooses,” Mr Ruku said.
Kinangop MP Kwenya Thuku also backed Prof Kindiki saying the next DP must have a grasp of how government functions, have a good understanding of government programs and projects and be able to articulate them.
“Prof Kindiki is obviously that gentleman, who would be a perfect match for President Ruto. He is an amiable, agile and very pleasant personality,” Mr Thuku said.
Kiambaa MP John wanjiku said the replacement of Mr Gachagua should be a person of his opposite in terms of traits whose loyalty to the President is unquestionable.
“Looking at the all names being mentioned in this succession matter, none matches Prof Kithure Kindiki. He respects and values other leaders, he is not condescending or disrespectful, he listens and consults. We cannot have another bully or self-centred leader in that office again,” Mr Wanjiku said.
Mt Kenya’s 10 counties control nearly a third of the country’s votes, with Meru having 780,858 voters, Tharaka-Nithi (234,618), Embu (337,627), Nyeri (492,046) and Kirinyaga (378,580). Others are Murang’a (628,416), Kiambu (1,293,309), Laikipia (265,842), Nyandarua (362,357) and Nakuru (1,050,367). This adds up to 5,824,020 votes.
Mount Kenya East comprises Tharaka Nithi, Embu and Meru counties whose votes add up to 1,353, 103 in comparison to 4,470,917 votes of the West.
