Lessons for Kindiki as he settles into his role as deputy president

The premature end of Rigathi Gachagua’s term as deputy president (DP) is now fait accompli. With it has come the pacification of half the country that was disaffected by his conduct whilst in office.

From the get-go, Gachagua was a polarising figure. The manner in which he was curated as William Ruto’s running-mate in the 2022 presidential elections left a lot to be desired.

But it is his “shareholders’ narrative,” where he allegedly said public resources would be the preserve of only those who voted for the Kenya Kwanza administration, that has been his undoing.

It has been the coup de grace that not only saw him impeached by both houses of Parliament but also upheld by Kenya’s High Court.

Kithure Kindiki is now DP. An affable gentleman with self-effacing mannerisms, he is the antithesis of the former DP. Where Gachagua was loud, brash and domineering, Prof Kindiki is quiet, unassuming and scholarly.

Yet he has been exceptionally effective in all his public roles, first as Senator of Tharaka Nithi County, serving as Senate Majority Leader and Deputy Speaker.

More recently he was the Interior and National administration Cabinet Secretary charged with leading efforts to combat terrorism and banditry in the restive parts of the Rift Valley.

There are salutary lessons for the new DP that obtain from Gachagua’s ignominious exit.

First, he should avoid the temptation of fashioning himself as kingpin of the Mountain. The Mountain is a voting bloc made of the populous Kikuyu community alongside their related Embu and Meru cousins.

Unlike Nyanza which has had one leader for decades, the Mountain changes leaders every 10 years. This allows it to remain at the top of Kenya’s politics through prescient shifts that align with the region’s aspirations.

Personalities are incidental to these shifts. And when they outlive their usefulness, they are discarded in favour of others. Kenneth Matiba found out the hard way when, despite being extremely popular during the 1992 presidential elections, he hardly made an impression five years later.

Uhuru Kenyatta served two terms as president. But his choice of successor was roundly rejected by the Mountain. Gachagua has fared poorly on a national level. He is unlikely to ever make a come-back as kingpin.

Second, Kindiki should brand himself along the lines of the value-proposition he brings to the presidency. Uhuru brought charisma and a good dose of family money. Gachagua brought numbers from his ethnic constituency.

Ostensibly, Kindiki has neither money nor ethnic numbers. His currency is evidently the stability he brings. Going by his inauguration speech, he is off to a good start. Words like “service,” and “loyalty and faithfulness” that punctuated his speech have a calming effect on a nation worn by years of fractious and confrontational politics.

Third, Kindiki would be well-advised to stay clear of the Rasputins around the presidency. The historical figure Rasputin was the Russian queen’s alter ego whose advice discredited the Tsarist government and precipitated the overthrow of the House of Romanov.

Rasputins around Uhuru spawned the divisive “Tanga tanga versus Kieleweke” narrative that eventually cost them the 2022 elections. The same Rasputins are said to have been co-opted into Gachagua’s advisory team to his detriment.

Mr Khafafa is a public policy analyst