The high stakes, delicate balancing act in Gachagua replacement

On a week that the Senate will be expected to determine the fate of Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua, the stakes on who will replace him keep soaring, should he be impeached.

As Gachagua puts on a spirited fight to save his political career, reports point to intense lobbying from various regions each hoping to have their own become the second in command.

Since the impeachment debate commenced, President William Ruto has been silent on the issue and should his deputy be removed from office, it is in his discretion who he will pick as his best bet, a delicate balancing act.

However, several names for various senior politicians continue playing out as possible replacements, with the latest to come into play being Embu Governor, Cecily Mbarire who is also the United Democratic Alliance (UDA) Chairperson.

Reports indicate that Mbarire’s could be a surprise bet, despite her name cropping up very late on the list of possible replacements.

Just like other persons touted to replace Gachagua, Mbarire also has a rich political history, which started over 20 years ago, having risen from being a nominated MP to an elected one and now Governor.

She is also a close ally of the President and leads the ruling party. In her tenure as an MP, she served in various lucrative positions, including Public Accounts Committee Chairperson, member of several other parliamentary committees as well as Kenya Women Parliamentary Association (KEWOPA) chairperson.

Mbarire joins the list of other women whose names have been floated as potential candidates as the race hots up.

“Mbarire could also stand a huge chance. She is one of the longest serving politician with no scandals to her name, commands respect, is accepted regionally and is a neutral candidate for both East and West regions of Mt Kenya,” reports have indicated.

Other names that have been previously mentioned include Lands Cabinet Secretary, Alice Wahome, Homa Bay Governor, Gladys Wanga and her Kirinyaga counterpart, Anne Waiguru, who also just completed her two term tenure at the helm of Council of Governors (CoG).

Waiguru, the first devolution Cabinet Secretary, is an economic policy and government affairs’ expert. She has served as a Technical Advisor for Public Sector Reforms during President Mwai Kibaki's administration, on secondment by both the World Bank and the United Nations Development Programme.

“My journey in public service has been one for the books, characterised by bringing service delivery closest to the people through Devolution, Huduma Centers, Wezesha, Health Care transformation, and many other amazing people-first initiatives,” she posted on her X handle.

Embu Governor Cecile Mbarire joins the list of other women whose names have been floated to replace DP Rigathi Gachagua. [File, Standard]

As this happens, observers are curious to see whether the President will keep his promise to women, when he stated that the elusive two-thirds gender rule will be realized, saying it is not only Constitutional but also a moral imperative the country should achieve.

In March last year, Ruto said his Government had initiated radical strategies to actualize the gender rule and pledged full support for a proposal that a male presidential candidate should have a female running mate and vice versa.

He tasked Mbarire to lead in ensuring this new arrangement is achieved going forward, saying it should be intentional so that it can work.

“Mbarire is the Chairperson of UDA not by default, it is deliberate and intentional and one of the assignments she has, is that as a party, we must lead from the front. We must be intentional about it otherwise it will never happen,” said Ruto back then

Other names that continue to feature prominently include that of Interior Cabinet Secretary, Kithure Kindiki, who has also been cited as a key contender.

He is also one of the persons who has not engaged in political re-alignments but was a majority’s preference pre-2022 election, before the President settled on Gachagua.

Another name that has featured is that of Prime Cabinet Secretary Musalia Mudavadi, who is also the and Cabinet Secretary for Foreign and Diaspora Affairs is poised to represent other regions away from Mt Kenya, should he be picked.

A seasoned land economist, Mudavadi served as the 7th Vice President of Kenya, Deputy Prime Minister and has held key ministerial positions across several administrations, working under three Kenyan Presidents.

He served for months as the Vice President for the former President the Late Daniel Arap Moi and later became the running mate to former President Uhuru Kenyatta.

Mudavadi has been in the political scene for the last 34 years and served as Sabatia Mp in 1989-2002, 2007-2013.

He has served as a Cabinet Minister for 19 years and served in various dockets sprawling Finance, Agriculture, Transport, Information and Communication, Local Government and now, Foreign, Diaspora and Parliamentary Affairs.

“The President has an opportunity to pick someone either from Mt Kenya region or outside. It is a delicate balancing act for him because he would not want to lose Mt Kenya and also, he needs to communicate to other regions that they are also part of his equation, that the seat does not only belong to one region,” insiders have stated.

Kikuyu Mp, Kimani Ichung’wah’s name has also cropped up on several occasions. He singlehandedly put life into the debate of impeachment after weeks of speculation and has not shied away from giving his point of view on Gachagua.

Despite the Kiambu factor he holds, where two Presidents have previously come from, reports also indicate that he still could stand a chance as a possible replacement.

“He is the Majority Leader in the National Assembly and commands a lot of respect from the Kenya Kwanza MPs,” sources have stated.

Others include Kiharu MP Ndindi Nyoro who has been silent as the debate heated up and was also not present when National Assembly voted for the impeachment motion as well as Murang’a Governor, Irungu Kang’ata.