Eating their own: The internal battle for Kindiki’s DP seat

Kithure Kindiki is confronting an intensifying internal power struggle, with rivals inside government and within his Mt Kenya backyard positioning themselves to take over the deputy president seat in 2027.

The jostling comes just over a year after Kindiki was named deputy president following the dramatic impeachment of Rigathi Gachagua.

While the public face of the Kenya Kwanza administration projects unity, a vicious contest is brewing on two fronts.

On one end are powerful figures in President William Ruto’s circle who believe the DP is not playing ball to some of their whims.

Sources describe a growing frustration among a section of the President's inner court who feel Kindiki has carved out too much independent space, preferring institutional discipline over political expediency.

On the other hand, are senior politicians from Mt Kenya who are of the idea that the region’s political future lies elsewhere.

These leaders argue that Kindiki, hailing from Tharaka Nithi in the Mt Kenya East bloc, does not fully represent the cultural and numerical weight of the region's western axis.

Some argue that the political destiny of the Mt Kenya region now rests with the Mt Kenya West bloc.

The internal contest is being fueled by a list of heavyweights who have long nursed national ambitions, including during Gachagua’s ouster.

Those said to be quietly angling to deputise Ruto include Kirinyaga Governor Anne Waiguru, Murang'a Governor Irungu Kang'ata, and Ndia MP George Kariuki.

Waiguru has signalled through media interviews that she is ready to deputise Ruto.

Kariuki on Tuesday told the Star that it’s the prerogative of the presidential candidate to pick his or her running mate.

“Nobody presents himself as a running mate; it’s a presidential candidate who taps a running mate based on a number of considerations,” said the Ndia MP who chairs the National Assembly's Transport Committee.

Kangata, however, told the Star he is not interested in Kindiki’s job.

The accusations against Waiguru and Kangata is that they are not attending any of Kindiki’s events.

Besides the three, Prime Cabinet Secretary Musalia Mudavadi has also been touted as keen on the post, observers citing his recent activation moves.

Mudavadi, also doubling as Foreign Affairs CS, has formed a campaign team dubbed ‘Musalia Powerhouse for Ruto Movement’.

Its main assignment is to whip the Western region to vote for UDA in their numbers to build the foundation for a strong, decisive second-term victory.

Compounding the regional pressure is the frosty reception Kindiki is reportedly receiving from some quarters within the Executive.

Insiders claim that a cabal around the powers that be has expressed discomfort with Kindiki's style of operation.

So vicious is the fight that the DP himself recently came out guns blazing, telling his kinsmen that ‘the seat is going nowhere’.

“I am the Deputy President of the Republic of Kenya. That position is not about to change, today or in the days ahead,” Kindiki said.

“And after this position, I can only move forward. The future is bright. Do not be afraid,” the DP added, sending a signal of his ambition to succeed Ruto in 2032.

On another facet is the ODM brigade, which largely features Homa Bay Governor Gladys Wanga and Mining CS Hassan Joho and Treasury’s John Mbadi who are all angling to become deputy president should the party secure the position in its pre-election talks with UDA.