(Bloomberg) — Kenyan President William Ruto has named Interior Secretary Kitule Kindiki as his vice president in a bid to tighten his grip on power.
Most Read Articles on Bloomberg
If Kindiki’s appointment is approved by parliament as expected, the law professor will replace Ligachi Gachagua, who was impeached by parliament for inciting ethnic hatred and undermining the judiciary. Gachagua denies any wrongdoing and vows to fight his dismissal in court.
The unrest came in the wake of anti-government protests against planned tax increases that sparked clashes that claimed at least 60 lives. Mr. Ruto then sacked his cabinet and invited several opposition politicians in the face of opposition from Mr. Gachagua and other members of the ruling coalition.
Mr. Gachagua helped Mr. Ruto, a Kikuyu member of the country’s largest ethnic group, garner votes when he contested the 2022 election on a joint ticket, but the two were never close allies. Instead, his impeachment could be used as a scapegoat for this year’s unrest. Kindiki’s appointment could help stabilize the government, allowing Ruto to focus on implementing economic reforms needed to rebuild the government’s finances.
The East African country is at high risk of falling into a debt crisis and is plagued by corruption. The decision to roll back some new taxes has created a $2.7 billion hole in the budget, forcing the Treasury to cut spending and increase borrowing.
Mr. Kindiki, a former senator from Tharaka Niti district, holds a master’s degree in international human rights law and democracy and a doctorate in international law from the University of Pretoria, South Africa. As vice president, he will serve as Ruto’s chief assistant and chair the forum that brings together the country’s 47 counties and the central government.
Kindiki is Ruto’s best friend. He served as one of the president’s lawyers when he faced war crimes charges at the International Criminal Court stemming from ethnic violence in Kenya in 2008 that left at least 1,110 people dead. The charges were dropped by the ICC in 2016.
Andrew Smith, senior Africa analyst at risk firm Verisk Maplecroft, said Mr Ruto’s decision to nominate his next lawmaker from the vote-rich Mount Kenya region, where Mr Gachagua is from, was a sign that Mr Ruto’s support base will help strengthen the.
–With assistance from Eric Ombok.
(Updates overall details.)
Most Read Articles on Bloomberg Businessweek
©2024 Bloomberg LP
