Weight of Kithure Kindiki's job description

Deputy President Kithure Kindiki will walk a tightrope in the coming weeks as he seeks to balance between the will of the people including his now celebrating backyard and the expectations of his boss, President William Ruto, who enumerated the DP’s job description publicly on Friday at the swearing-in ceremony.

President Ruto wants Prof Kindiki to unleash his eloquence and intellectual fervour to communicate government projects and policies in a bid to mitigate the vacuum that the President alluded to earlier on August 8 during the swearing-in of his freshly appointed team of Cabinet Secretaries. That came after he dismissed his first Cabinet following the Gen Z protests that saw him refuse to assent into law of the controversial Finance Bill, 2024. 

Dr Ruto, then, admitted that poor communication, insufficient public engagement and impunity from some public officers misdirected members of the public that they had been abandoned by their administration.

“It is true, and I freely admit, that due to suboptimal communication of our development agenda and a feeling of insufficient public engagement, we have lost many opportunities to walk the journey of transforming Kenya with everyone on board, leaving some citizens unable to connect with the policies, programmes, and projects that have been rolled out throughout our country,” he said. 

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Cabinet decisions

Kindiki’s duties will include overseeing the implementation of Cabinet decisions across all ministries and State departments.

He will also co-ordinate relations between national and county governments, and chair the Inter-Governmental Budget and Economic Council.

The DP’s other tasks include liaison with constitutional commissions and independent offices in matters that require national government intervention.

Also in his docket is to coordinate planning and supervise the implementation of development partners’ funded programmes and projects, and oversee public sector reforms.

He has been tasked to unite the country, including winning back Mt Kenya region to the President’s fold.

Ruto blamed his government officials for the withdrawal of the Finance Bill, 2024, accusing them of failing to take time to explain it to Kenyans.

Former Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua was among the top government officials who opposed the Bill claiming it was a burden to the people.

He said that the Finance Bill was a bottleneck to businesses and middle-income earners.

At KICC on Friday, the President told Kindiki how he had become a lonely voice in the Executive in communicating government policies and programmes to the people in what can be interpreted to be a veiled attack at his former deputy.

“Today, we have more teachers, we have a new higher education funding model that is student-based, which we are refining to make sure that no child in Kenya is left behind. My dear Professor Kindiki, I need your voice, I need your intellect to help me and to help members of our Cabinet, to profile the things we are doing”.

Kindiki will now be the face of the government’s policies and the defender of programmes such as the controversial Social Health Insurance Fund, the contracting of Indian firm, Adani, to lease Jomo Kenyatta International Airport for 30 years, a deal that has sparked strong opposition from Kenyans. There is also the Adani-Ketraco deal which has been stopped temporarily by courts after a section of Kenyans filed a petition.

He will defend the Kenya Kwanza administration’s taxation regime which a section of Kenyans especially those employed have termed punitive. They want the government to broaden the tax base.

Political commentators warn that the President was strategically shifting responsibility, especially on the controversial government policies to Kindiki, a move that may expose him to public criticism and ridicule while he (Ruto) remains stainless and clean. 

Political commentator, Edward Kasembeli, said Ruto’s job description to Kindiki may also introduce a conflict of responsibilities, especially between him and Prime Cabinet Secretary Musalia Mudavadi. Already Ruto has assigned Mudavadi in acting capacity the role of CS for Interior and Coordination and National Administration.

Mudavadi lieutenants

“In the initial years of this administration, there were some internal squabbles between Gachagua and Mudavadi and it may also reoccur if Ruto’s prescription to Kindiki is anything to go by. “ Kasembeli said and added,  “Some Mudavadi lieutenants may misconstrue that Kindiki was being established as a checkmate for Mudavadi on who should be coordinating the government programmes,” 

He advised Kindiki to be careful and cautious that he is not reduced to a government spokesperson while there existed offices of Cabinet Secretaries, Principal Secretaries and of spokespersons who are mandated to outline government programmes to the citizenry.

Yet another area that Kindiki will have a tough balancing act is delivering Mt Kenya region back to the President’s fold especially because of the sympathy that Gachagua has garnered following his impeachment.

Though a distinguished scholar who has been touted to possess the virtues of humility and simplicity, pundits believe Kindiki lacks the political clout that a firebrand politician needs to provide direction to their people.

Kamau Wairuri, a political scientist and a policy researcher said Gachagua in his efforts to consolidate the Mt Kenya region fell into the temptations of speaking about their problems and as a result fell out with his boss.

“Gachagua spoke to the hearts of Mt Kenya region people and as a result, he lost the crown, I doubt that Kindiki will want to follow in the same footsteps,” said Dr Wairuri.

During Kindiki’s swearing-in ceremony, Ruto reminded the DP that he was to serve the people of Kenya and the Republic of Kenya and not his community.

Public servant

“As I told our Principal Secretaries, Cabinet Secretaries, and as I tell every public servant who has a responsibility, who has a duty, who has the honour to serve our nation, let us serve the people of Kenya and the Republic of Kenya. We are not here to serve ourselves or our families, communities, regions, or villages,” Ruto said on Friday. 

Political commentator Herman Manyora said having taken up the DP job, Kindiki will champion Ruto’s policies.

“His job is simple, don’t defend your people, don’t question the taxation regime, just support and defend it, probably in the future should he develop presidential ambitions he may tell people that he was just a deputy who had no say,” he said.

Other commentators cautioned that by giving him his expectations, Ruto was ‘‘setting Kindiki against the people’’, comparing the President’s speech to his Executive Order of 2023 that cut out Gachagua’s roles which ended up in his impeachment motion. 

In the Executive order, Gachagua was tasked with the revival of the coffee sub-sector and the Nairobi Rivers Commission docket, placing him in charge of the government’s campaigns to clean rivers in the City.

Coffee and tea wrangles and the Nairobi Rivers Commission issues found their way into the impeachment motion where Gachagua was accused of insubordination by going against the directive of cleaning up the Nairobi River. 

Kindiki’s appointment comes at a time when the Council of Governors (CoG) has accused the National Treasury of holding billions of shillings owed to counties for September and October.

Vice-chairperson of CoG, Mutahi Kahiga, said the cash crunch has also crippled the delivery of critical services, affecting thousands of Kenyans.

“As we are speaking, the National Treasury owes us about Sh63.95 billion for September and October. Now we are moving into November, and by November 15, it should also have disbursed the money,” Kahiga said.

As part of his roles, Kindiki will take over from Gachagua is the coordination of devolution, and his intellect and wisdom will be put to the test on how well or bad he will deal with the looming financial crisis in counties.