Abraham Kithure Kindiki is on the cusp of becoming Kenya's third Deputy President under the 2010 Constitution.
The newly nominated second in command was born on July 17, 1972 in Irunduni village, Tharaka Nithi county and is the spouse to Joyce Gatiiria Njagi who he married in 2001.
He got his secondary school education from Lenana School and scored a grade C in his Kenya Certificate of Secondary Education (KCSE). Due to this he could not pursue the law degree he had dreamt of. Undeterred, he repeated school at Tharaka Nithi Boys High School with his eyes set on achieving what he wanted.
The incoming DP boasts an impressive academic resume. He obtained a degree in law from Moi University (LLB) and a Diploma in Legal Studies from the Kenya School of Law. He holds a Master’s Degree in International Human Rights Law & Democracy and a PhD in International Law from the University of Pretoria, South Africa. On top of this, he is an advocate of the High Court of Kenya and the International Criminal Court (ICC).
Earlier in his career, Prof. Kindiki was a lecturer at the Moi University. He also served as a Senior Lecturer and the Head of the Department of Public Law at the University of Nairobi. He rose to be an Associate Dean at the School of Law in the same institution. He also served as the Secretary of National Cohesion under President Mwai Kibaki.
Kindiki’s entry into politics was catalysed by his involvement as a defence lawyer for current President William Ruto during his trial at the Hague for his alleged involvement in the 2007/2008 post election violence skirmishes. Kindiki gained a load of plaudits for his role in the successful defence of William Ruto that provided the springboard into his entry into politics.
Prof. Kindiki was elected as the Senator of Tharaka Nithi county on a TNA ticket in the 2013 General Elections. This was an impressive feat considering this was his first time contesting for electoral office. The Senator was reelected for a second term in 2017. In his time at the Upper House, he served as the Senate Majority Leader from 2013 to 2017 and Senate Deputy Speaker from August 2017 to 2020.
When President William Ruto rose to power after the 2022 General Election, he appointed Prof. Kindiki as the Interior Cabinet Secretary, a strategic position by any feat.
Prior to this, speculation was rife that Kindiki was the prime choice to be Ruto’s running mate in the run up to the elections. He was seen as the preferred choice by the majority of Mt. Kenya leaders and populace. However, former DP Gachagua ended up getting the nod. Perhaps this was the clearest sign that Kindiki would be the favorite to replace Rigathi.
It is no secret that Kindiki’s appointment as the principal assistant to the President will be a different ball game compared to his previous roles in the past. He will clearly bank on his extensive experience in government to fill the shoes of the ousted Gachagua. In Ruto’s government, Prof Kindiki was viewed as the best performing CS as per a poll conducted by InfoTrak. He will surely hope that this translates to the execution of his duties as Deputy President.
It would be intriguing to see how Prof Kindiki differs from Gachagua as a Deputy President. On the surface, the tale of the tape points to two contrasting individuals who are cut from different clothes. Former DP Gachagua was very outspoken, somewhat abrasive and gained infamy for his ‘defense’ of the Mt. Kenya region in national affairs.Gachagua’s rapid rise to the top- going from one-term Mathira MP to Deputy President is a stark contrast to Prof Kindiki’s slow burn. Prof Kindiki is seen as a soft spoken person who many see as a ‘yes-man’ that does not have the extensive grassroots reach that Gachagua boasts of.
From the outside, it is predicted that Prof Kindiki will have a greater focus on the delivery of government services and will rarely hog the limelight in the political arena. The current government is grappling with a high cost of living, constant corruption and a tendency to favor politics rather than cater to the needs of the citizens. The incoming DP faces a herculean task in regards to implementing the government’s Bottom Up Economic Transformation Agenda (BETA) where the main premise is to uplift Kenyans who are at the bottom of the economic pyramid.
The appointment of Professor Kithure Kindiki is also set to spark great debate on the supremacy of the Mt. Kenya region. Many political leaders have been angling for the title of regional kingpin especially after Rigathi Gachagua’s ouster. With his appointment, Prof Kindiki position in the supremo battle will surely shift and he will have greater say in the discourse regarding the mountain. This comes after he was recently endorsed by the Njuri Ncheke Council of Elders as the Mt. Kenya kingpin. Whether or not this will have ramifications in the 2027 election battle, time will tell.
