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Kenya’s President William Ruto on Friday announced the nomination of his political ally, Interior Minister Kithure Kindiki, as his new deputy to replace the impeached deputy.
Kindiki’s nomination, which still requires parliamentary approval, comes after a period of political unrest, marked by mass protests and the first-ever impeachment of a Kenyan deputy president.
“I have received a message from the president regarding the nomination of Professor Kithure Kindiki to fill the vacancy in the office,” Reuters quoted Speaker Moses Wetang’ula in the National Assembly as saying.
Gachagua was impeached on five of 11 charges, including gross violation of the constitution and incitement of ethnic hatred.
He denied the allegations, which he described as politically motivated.
Gachagua had supported Ruto in the 2022 election, helping him to secure votes from central Kenya.
However, he recently spoke of being marginalised amid reports of a growing rift between him and Ruto as political dynamics shifted.
Kindiki, a close ally of Ruto, was a leading contender to be his running mate in the 2022 election and was appointed interior minister after Ruto took office in September.
The interior ministry oversees the police, which faced criticism from rights groups for alleged use of excessive force during protests earlier this year, which called for the repeal of a controversial finance law and anti-corruption reforms.
Appearing before parliament in September, Kindiki defended the police, insisting that they acted lawfully.
He also denied any involvement in extrajudicial killings or abductions.
