"I will remain available to my country in future should an opportunity arise to seek leadership positions that may be available. That future, I don't know when it will be," said Kindiki.
Ordinarily, his prophecy would not have come as soon as it did. Gachagua's unprecedented impeachment aligned the outgoing minister's stars. Had Kenya Kwanza MPs had their way and had the Head of State been persuaded by a selection panel formed to pick his running mate in 2022, Kindiki would, perhaps, be on his 778th day as DP today.
Soft-spoken
In Kindiki, Ruto has a loyal ally. He served as the President's chief agent during the last general election and his lawyer when he faced charges of crimes against humanity at the International Criminal Court at The Hague following the post-2007 election violence in Kenya.
Since his selection as Cabinet Secretary, the soft-spoken Kindiki has never contradicted his boss. Neither did he wade into the differences between Ruto and Gachagua when others took sides.
Kindiki has consistently stood by the Head of State's side, weathering the rough 'handshake' waters with ODM leader Raila Odinga.
His support for Ruto cost him the deputy speaker position during a purge led by former President Uhuru Kenyatta and supported by Odinga, a former Prime Minister.
In a gruelling debate, the teacher of International Law would warn of the consequences of injustices, such as the one he believed was meted upon him and his colleagues ousted in the purge.
"I bow in shame to note that we are here today for such an elitist triviality, powered by petty, divisive and vindictive politics," Kindiki said then. "It does not bother me at all that the die is cast against me. What bothers me is that the Constitution of our country is once again indecently assaulted in full glare."
He was Tharaka Nithi senator, a position he held between 2013 and 2017. He enjoyed an illustrious Senate career as majority leader before being promoted to the deputy speakership.
The outgoing minister's name has been on most people's lips as Gachagua's probable replacement as Deputy President. Days before the planned impeachment gained momentum, a section of lawmakers from Mt Kenya gathered to declare Kindiki their "point man" in the Mount Kenya region.
This was the clearest sign that Kindiki would take over the seat described by many as "cursed" for the troubles that trail its holders. Whether the law scholar's diplomatic temperament will allow him to remain cordial with Ruto remains to be seen.
Kindiki and Gachagua know each other well having competed to be Ruto's number two. A divisive vote by Mt Kenya lawmakers to decide Ruto's deputy saw the then Deputy President overrule the majority and select Gachagua, the less experienced politician, as his number two.
When he rose to the ministry, Kindiki pushed for reforms in the Immigration Department, overseeing quicker issuance of passports.
The flip side of Kindiki's legacy at the Interior Ministry includes overseeing human rights abuses by the police and unchecked police brutality. The police's response to the recent youth-led uprising has earned the government international criticism.
Kindiki has defended the police's actions, which many have argued have helped foster impunity and which has killed and abducted many Kenyans. The protests claimed more than 60 Kenyans, most in the hands of the police, with a previous wave of opposition demonstrations leading to the deaths of more than 70, most, if not all, in the hands of the police.
Bad light
Overseeing the police, Kindiki's tenure has seen a continuation of alleged police interference by the Executive. In many instances, security agencies have acted as appendages of the Executive, which turns a blind eye to the ills they commit.
Last year, opposition politicians were arrested for participating in protests and were later released without charges. The detention of Kenyans without trial, such as activist Bob Njagi and brothers Aslam and Jamil Longton, has also cast the police service in a bad light.
Kindiki, a lawyer for over 24 years, has taught at Moi University and the University of Nairobi (UoN), where he was the head of the Department of Public Law and the Associate Dean of the law school.
He was promoted to associate professor of law at Kenyatta University. Kindiki undertook his undergraduate studies at Moi University and earned a Master of Laws degree, and a PhD in International Law from the University of Pretoria in South Africa.
Born on July 16, 1972, in Tharaka-Nithi County, Kindiki hails from a family with a strong academic background. He grew up in the county, attending the Lenana School for his secondary education and later Tharaka Boys High School.