Ruto's headache in picking deputy if Gachagua is sent packing

The dilemma for President William Ruto is whether or not to retain his deputy from Mt Kenya, where the fight is already considered to be between Mt Kenya East and West.

As Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua faces his nightmare at the Senate this week, President William Ruto’s tough task is finding Gachagua’s replacement.

There is an unprecedented jostling for the seat, which had been automatically deemed Interior Cabinet Secretary Kithure Kindiki’s for the taking.

Before Kibwezi West lawmaker Mwengi Mutuse tabled Gachagua’s impeachment motion, a section of Members of Parliament from the DP’s  Mt Kenya backyard endorsed Kindiki as the region’s point man.

When Mutuse got the ball rolling, ambitious politicians from Mt Kenya and beyond seized the chance to posture themselves as the ideal DPs.

The race to succeed Gachagua has attracted widespread interest. The dilemma for Ruto is whether or not to retain his deputy from Mt Kenya, where the fight is already considered to be between Mt Kenya East and West.

If Gachagua falls, Ruto could nominate a replacement by Friday, with Parliament expected to vote on the nomination within 60 days.

Those touted to take over include Governors Anne Waiguru (Kirinyaga) and Gladys Wanga (Homa Bay), who have seemed keen to bank on their gender to bag the position.

During a recent meeting of women politicians, Waiguru was endorsed as the most ideal, because she is a second-term governor and comes from Mt Kenya, the same region as Gachagua.

Women politicians want a fellow woman, insisting that Dr Ruto promised that he would choose a female running mate in future.

Other women in the race include Governors Cecily Mbarire (Embu) and Susan Kihika (Nakuru). Mbarire is the chairperson of Ruto’s United Democratic Alliance.

She hails from Mt Kenya East, a region whose support the Head of State is keen to keep in the face of growing unpopularity in Mt Kenya West.

Kihika, a new entrant in the race, is a first-term governor. She served as Nakuru’s senator between 2017 and 2022 and as the county assembly’s speaker before. Kihika, a staunch ally of Ruto, checks the gender box that women politicians have been pushing. She hails from what is considered the Mt Kenya diaspora, where Ruto is losing popularity recently.

Another emerging candidate is Murang’a Governor Irungu Kang’ata, who yesterday met lawmakers from Ruto’s Kenya Kwanza Alliance led by National Assembly Majority Whip Sylvanus Osoro, amid talk that MPs now prefer him to take over. 

Energy Cabinet Secretary Opiyo Wandayi, recently poached from the opposition, is also fronted as Gachagua’s possible successor.

Sources told The Standard that Kenya Kwanza lawmakers are scouting for the ideal candidate with the hope of influencing Ruto’s choice. In 2022, MPs had tried to have the President pick Kindiki as his running mate.

“Occasionally, we usually have such meetings with progressive leaders to share with us their experience in leadership,” Osoro said after the meeting.

Kang’ata described the meeting as an informal get-together.

“Today, 40 MPs called me. We just had some lunch. These are my personal friends with whom we have associated for long. We had sought consultations on the well-being of the country. Nothing more,” said Kang’ata.

“I do not believe it is fair or right for anyone to campaign for such a position because it is appointive.

‘‘Neither do I believe a deputy should have a distinct agenda from his boss. For now, I am fixated on handling my current docket as a governor in Murang’a. I’m currently distributing fertiliser and maize seeds to 57,000-plus farmers in anticipation of the rains,” he added.

Prime Cabinet Secretary Musalia Mudavadi is another favourite to land the DP role. Mudavadi shelved his presidential ambitions in 2022 to support Ruto and Gachagua, accepting a coalition agreement that reserved the Deputy Presidency for UDA and Mt Kenya.

Energy Cabinet Secretary Opiyo Wandayi, recently poached from the opposition, is also fronted as Gachagua’s possible successor.

With his support in Mt Kenya fast-waning, Ruto has seemed keen to invest his efforts in Nyanza and Western. 

Nyanza has welcomed the broad-based administration endorsed by former Prime Minister Raila Odinga, who is seeking the African Union Commission chairperson position.

“President Ruto may want to consider meritocracy in picking the nominee for deputy president. The nominee ought to have a stellar record in the public service. Preferably both in the Executive and Legislature. He should consider a nominee who has demonstrated capacity and competence in both leadership and statecraft. This is useful in assisting the president to maintain political and economic stability,” said political risk analyst Dismas Mokua.

“President Ruto's nominee should not be limited to Mt Kenya. Getting a nominee outside Mt Kenya will dismantle tribal cartels, enhance national unity and open a new chapter in national leadership,” he added.