Mt Kenya MPs who voted to impeach former deputy president Rigathi Gachagua say were made to believe they would have a say in appointing his successor.
Mt Kenya MPs who voted to impeach former deputy president Rigathi Gachagua were made to believe they would have a say in appointing his successor through a vote, Nation has established.
However, a day after the Senate voted to impeach Mr Gachagua, on October 8, President William Ruto nominated Prof Kindiki Kithure as his new deputy.
On the same day, the National Assembly voted to endorse the nomination; the rest is history.
Some MPs had been assured the selection would be competitive and they would consider various nominees. They say the president’s inner circle made them believe they were to settle on their preferred choice.
That would explain why as Parliament was still considering the special motion of impeaching Mr Gachagua, some of those eyeing the deputy president’s seat met with some MPs to plead their case.
Murang’a Governor Irungu Kang'ata met a group of MPs led by National Assembly majority party whip Silvanus Osoro to lobby his case.
Elated that a campaign window for potential candidates would be opened and the MPs would play an influential role, politicians bought into the hurried push to depose Mr Gachagua.
"It is being said that we received money to fix Gachagua. Ok, it was not a bribe but facilitation to carry out public participation. There was also logistics. Don't call it a bribe but something to get work done," claims a Nyeri County MP who spoke on condition of anonymity.
“The matter was to end sadly for us because we were hoodwinked that candidates would campaign amongst us so that we can eventually vote for Gachagua’s replacement.”
During a recent show on Inooro TV, Nakuru Senator Tabitha Karanja also spoke of MPs being promised that they would have a say in nominating a new deputy president, as he refuted claims by Nyandarua Senator Mr John Methu that the impeachment motion “was a money-minting enterprise and rent-seeking mission.”
"I was summoned to State House, asked to support (the motion to impeach Gachagua) and also promised [we would be] involved in picking a replacement. I voted to impeach Gachagua," Ms Karanja said.
Murang'a Senator Joe Nyutu told Nation.Africa that "I was also approached to join the impeachment bandwagon… I asked what the end game was and I was told I stood a chance to have my choice win in a mini poll that was to be held at State House.”
He said he asked who were the top contenders "and a mouthy irritant politician from Rift Valley" told him that Mt Kenya, especially Murang'a County, was highly rated with four shortlisted candidates.
But the Senator said he read mischief, given all the 11 Mt Kenya allied counties had been promised the slot.
"This contributed to the excitement, akin to high school monos' outing date, that gripped the political arena as Mt Kenya led from the front in impeaching one of their own for the promise of delegated power to cash in on picking a successor," Kiambu Senator Mr Karungo Thang'wa also said on Inooro FM recently.
Some of the names that had been floated as potential deputy president nominees were Prof Kindiki, Governor Kang’ata, Kirinyaga Governor Anne Waiguru, National Assembly Majority Leader Kimani Ichung'wa, Laikipia East MP Mwangi Kiunjuri and Kiharu MP Ndindi Nyoro.
Among those who prominently campaigned was Mr Kang'ata who, besides being endorsed by Mr Osoro also met Azimio boss Raila Odinga.
Mr Kang'ata shared on social media a photo of him and Mr Odinga.
"The Right Honourable former Prime Minister invited me this morning for consultations. We had a good discussion on national cohesion and the progress we have made as a country under devolution," Mr Kang'ata wrote.
He acknowledged he was campaigning for the seat but later opted out.
"The assembly was split; some in favour and others opposing. Eventually, I applied due diligence and, coupled with personal considerations, I opted out," the governor told Inooro TV recently.
In a Facebook post, Murang’a Woman Representative Betty Maina said county leaders attempted consensus among all the proposed candidates and appeared to settle on Mr Nyoro, who declined the offer in solidarity with Mr Gachagua.
It was then that the issue began to generate fireworks, with indications that apart from President Ruto's close associates who knew all along that Prof Kindiki was the favourite candidate, everyone else had been thrown into a spin to keep the game plan exciting.
Imenti Central MP Moses Nguchine lamented publicly on October 14 that "we were lied to that if we impeached Gachagua then Kindiki would be the automatic nominee.” “Yet we are seeing others now campaigning for the same seat and being supported by State House insiders," the MP protested at the time.
But the president's camp, including United Democratic Alliance (UDA) party Secretary-General Omar Hassan and Kapseret MP Oscar Sudi, began dropping hints that Prof Kindiki would be named new deputy as soon as the Senate upheld the National Assembly's decision to impeach Mr Gachagua on October 17.
"I just laughed at the naivety of some politicians when the Kenya Gazette notices started flying around. The name of Kindiki, without the promised selection, was gazetted at midnight. Parliament debated and endorsed it as our disappointed, lied to politicians licked their wounds," said Mr Nyutu.
On the misled MPs, Mumias East MP Peter Salasya told Nation.Africa on Sunday, “The next time you are told to burn your house to rid it of rats with the promise of a rodent-free habitation, just say you are comfortable living with those animals and you will develop your own remedy for controlling their damage."
On November 1, Prof Kindiki was sworn in as deputy president in an event skipped by many senior politicians from Mt Kenya.
Some senior leaders in Mt Kenya, and generally from the ruling UDA party, are yet to be prominently seen accompanying Prof Kindiki to Mt Kenya.
Prof Kindiki accompanied the President to a church function in Embu on Saturday and, on his own, toured Kirinyaga on Sunday, events that did not elicit the expected fireworks.
Indeed, Mr Gachagua was the man of the moment in Embu where he, too, showed up and received wild cheers from the crowd as did former president Uhuru Kenyatta.
