Prof Kithure Kindiki.
President William Ruto's nominee for Deputy President Kithure Kindiki will likely walk a political minefield over the next three years as he is set to take over from his impeached predecessor Rigathi Gachagua.
Prof Kindiki, who has swiftly risen in two years from his previous post of Interior Cabinet Secretary, will fly into the storm brewing in Mt Kenya.
Coming into higher calling when Mt Kenya is sulking in restlessness, Prof Kindiki's toughest assignment will be to rally the region to back President Ruto overwhelmingly as it did in 2022 elections.
Prof Kindiki will now be expected to replace Mr Gachagua as President Ruto's United Democratic Alliance (UDA) deputy party leader, the party's Secretary General Mr Omar Hassan has since said.
He will be expected to lead party grassroots elections especially in Mt Kenya that have since been abandoned following toxic politics raging in the region.
The task of reuniting a region fractured by the divisive impeachment of Mr Rigathi by Parliament that saw the region’s leaders allied into camps for or against the impeached deputy president isn’t a walk in the park.
This is a task Nyandarua Senator Mr John Methu terms as "an extreme ambition".
"The mountain has been disturbed and is in a foul mood currently and how Kindiki and his wing intends to sooth it to avoid erupting is not exactly the task I would love on my shoulders,” Mr Methu told Nation.Africa.
Githunguri MP Ms Gathoni wa Muchomba also said "my respectable brother Kindiki will need the grace of God to fight off perceptions that he was used to divide Mt Kenya and betray Gachagua to be crucified so that he can reap individual benefits".
"We are in a wait and see mode now as Mr Gachagua's legal fights continue to fall as though in a grand conspiracy. No one should lie to Mr Kindiki that it will be easy if indeed he succeeds becoming second in command," said Murang'a Senator Mr Joe Nyutu.
“This good man is being ushered into a complicated field that is politically poisoned and where an impression has been advanced that he is a weapon of divide and rule by President Ruto,” Mr Nyutu added.
"Mr Kindiki will have a rough time helping president Ruto's disciples who were instrumental in crucifying Gachagua in both the National Assembly and the Senate to win the ground back,” argued Kiambu Senator Mr Karungo Thang'wa.
Mr Thang'wa said "it is unfortunate that the kind of politics that have been unleashed among our people have poisoned relationship between some of our colleagues and their people...to a point where some of them cannot freely interact with the grassroots".
"I would love to see all of us in good working relations with the people but since Kindiki's wing of government started this animosity, it is their baby to suckle,” Mr Thang'wa added.
Buuri MP Mr Rindikiri Murwithania believes "Mr Kindiki is the man for the unity job and all we ask for is time and patience.” “This 5man will surprise all by making us regret that we had shortchanged him in the search for the running mate ahead of the 2022 General Election," the MP argued referring to reports Prof Kindiki was favourite to be named Dr Ruto’s running mate ahead of 2022 elections but was bypassed for Mr Gachagua.
"Mr Kindiki can unite Mt Kenya without resorting to crude tactics that we have recently been treated to and at the same time make us coexist with others under the national flag," Mr Rindikiri added.
Former Laikipia woman rep Ms Cate Waruguru said "the senior most Mt Kenya region government official must exhibit passion reminiscent of Gachagua hard style of pushing for one man one shilling one vote formula as well as Minimum Guaranteed Returns in the agribusiness sector as well as dedicate extra ordinary efforts in the war against killer brews".
Mr Kindiki has since dismissed the formula as "untested, divisive and with risk of marginalising further the already vulnerable".
Coming from Tharaka Nithi that has a population of 393, 000 people, Mr Kindiki is accused by former Bahati MP Kimani Ngunjiri of "opposing the formula so as to safeguard his home county's interests instead of being holistic and consider the plight of heavily populated areas".
Maragua MP Mary wa Maua told Nation.Africa that "Kindiki is a nice and cultured man who is being propelled into suspect prominence after grand betrayal of Mr Gachagua, a tag that might haunt him deeper into the future".
She said "if Mr Kindiki was being propelled to the second in command position in a manner that reflects fairness and justice, not many would have a problem with him".
Ms Wa Maua termed snippets being peddled around that Mt Kenya has now been split along East and West divides as unfortunate if that is what Kindiki's elevation is all about.
Should it work for him, Mr Kindiki will get into the contest for the tag of Mt Kenya kingpin, a hotly contested position.
"Mr Kindiki will immediately find himself in the thick of things as he tries to cement himself as Mt Kenya spokesman in an environment where former President Uhuru Kenyatta was yet to agree with Mr Gachagua on who exactly was the voice of the region," said former Gatanga MP Mr Nduati Ngugi.
Mr Ngugi added that "much the more President Ruto loyalists want to convince us that he has no place for regionalism, his more than 48 loyalists drawn from this region recently congregated in Nyahururu and endorsed Kindiki as their spokesman".
Mr Ngugi said "for Kindiki to consolidate his grip from Tharaka Nithi to spread through to Meru, Embu, Kirinyaga, Nyeri, Laikipia, Murang'a, Nyandarua, Kiambu, Nakuru, Nairobi and Lamu will need extraordinary tact".
Kapseret MP Mr Oscar Sudi told Nation.Africa that "Mt Kenya is now lucky to have a man of reason, moderation, patriotism and development conscious as it's senior most government figure".
He said Mr Kindiki has a perfect working relationship with President Ruto to a point they will make a good pair and fast track development in Mt Kenya and other parts of the nation".
"We know this government is in dire need for Mt Kenya numbers as it continues to auction our critical infrastructure and our health services...My concern is that Mr Kindiki is being brought into the picture to help stifle this region's right to question all the long reported long-term leasing of the country's resources to shady bilateral and multilateral deals," said Jubilee Party Secretary General Mr Jeremiah Kioni.
Tharaka Nithi governor Mr Muthomi Njuki in his congratulatory message to Mr Kindiki said "we are excited as a region and as a country for having a leadership that is sober, uniting and progressive".
He said "I have no doubt that Mr Kindiki will freshen things up around this place and help the president achieve the pre-election plan for the country".
With fears that President Ruto's ratings have nosedived in his wars with Gachagua and Gen Z population, Mbeere North MP Mr Geoffrey Ruku said "Mr Kindiki is that one man who can popularise the government".
He said "in his service as Interior CS he exhibited diligence, loyalty, hard work and was result oriented to a point he was the highest ranked Cabinet member in performance".
Jomo Kenyatta University of Agriculture and Technology (JKUAT) don Mr Charles Mwangi said: "I am optimistic that Mr Kindiki can get a formula of working diligently and pacifying the competing forces at the grassroots...but I'm certain he will have problems achieving three things".
Mr Mwangi cited the three things as: Winning the ground for President Ruto, convincing area residents to abandon the call for one man one shilling one vote formula as well as he himself reaching 2027 as the most ideal running mate for President Ruto's second term bid".
Mr Mwangi explained that "beyond all these shenanigans we must not forget that politics is all about banging up winning numbers and forming tribal, regional and cartel based alliances to seize state power".
He said that "should Mr Kindiki fail to win Mt Kenya for Ruto ahead of 2027, he will be branded as irrelevant and not in a position to help the President secure a second term hence the running mate slot being moved to someone else with numbers to place on the bargaining table".
