Kindiki pushes back, says he will defend his position

DP Kithure Kindiki when he met 15,000 UDA grassroots officials from across Tharaka Nithi at Irunduni in Tharaka. [Phares Mutembei, Standard]

Deputy President Kithure Kindiki has pushed back against recent moves by the Orange Democratic Movement (ODM) to demand the running mate position, maintaining he would defend his position against any attempt to remove him from office.

In a move that exposes the deep-rooted cracks within the Broad-Based government over the Deputy President post, Kindiki yesterday said no one could remove him from office, saying it would not be possible to chase him away.

 “I am the fireman, and now, by the grace of God, the Deputy President of Kenya. Do you think there is anybody who can remove me from this seat and chase me away? It is not possible. I will defend myself,” he said in Tharaka Nithi yesterday.

Kindiki said his getting the seat had come as a result of calls by Kenyans who wanted someone to effectively assist President Ruto in discharging his national duties after the previous holder, Rigathi Gachagua, failed to perform his duties.

He said he was not about to let go of the seat and no one can take it away. "That is absolutely impossible," DP Kindiki stressed.

He said there is nobody who can chase him away from UDA or sabotage his bid for Ruto's running mate. "I am the Deputy President, and that (seat taken) is an impossibility."

His remarks come two weeks after ODM reportedly humiliated him during the Broad-Based retreat where they maintained that Kindiki had no political value while stressing that the DP position belonged to ODM as a minimum to support President Ruto’s re-election.

Those who attended the August 10 meeting revealed how outbursts by Kisii Governor Simba Arati angered a section of MPs who staged a walkout to protest the humiliation meted on Kindiki.

 The MPs felt that the attitude by Arati was condescending towards Kindiki and, to some extent, the rest of the Mt Kenya region leaders.

“In jest, Arati said wakati wa kufanya kazi umeisha sasa ni wakati wa kutafuta kura as he maintained that the Deputy Presidency post belonged to ODM. He made the remarks in front of the President as Kindiki watched helplessly; we felt disgruntled and left the meeting in a huff but later went back to the meeting,’ Gatundu South MP GG Kagombe revealed.

A week ago, ODM leader Oburu Oginga, in an interview with TV47, also fired a salvo against Kindiki, maintaining that the ODM party was not targeting him but his position, which he maintained will be open after the elections begin

“During negotiations, everybody, including Kindiki, will come to the table and show what he has. He can’t claim we are targeting him because his position will be vacant once elections come; once negotiations come, he shall have served his time,” Oburu told Tv 47 in an interview.

He maintained that while Kindiki had done a good job, that was not the only qualification to deputise Ruto, saying he had the strength, wisdom and the experience to occupy the Deputy Presidency post.

In yet another minimum that may be problematic to the pre-election negotiations committee, Oburu maintained that ODM will not allow UDA to sponsor candidates in the historical ODM stronghold areas.

He said he was open to working with the United Opposition leaders such as Wiper Patriotic Front (WPF) leader Kalonzo Musyoka and Jubilee Deputy Party leader Fred Matiangi, having worked with them in the past.

“There would be a lot of alignments and realignments towards the election; these people I have worked with- they are our colleagues, Kalonzo, Matiangi, all these people we know and I cannot rule out working with any of them in the future.

However, Kindiki's hard stance yesterday that his position is non-negotiable and that the current ticket remains intact reveals a man who is not willing to let go and his choice of venue shows that he had started mobilising his natives as a veiled demand that he was not a pushover.

Additionally, Kindiki’s reference to Ruto's experience as the Deputy President and how he fought to the end despite their fallout with the Former President Uhuru Kenyatta pointed out that even if there were efforts by Ruto and ODM to edge him out, he would endure to retain his position

 “Our President, William Ruto, during the last days, disagreed with his former boss; they tried to remove Ruto, but it was not possible because he had many friends and he was the Deputy President. He stayed firm until the end,” he said.

Kindiki said he would similarly stand his ground.

“I will defend myself. I cannot simply be chased away; I will defend myself,” he said.

Kindiki’s remarks throw a spanner in the works of the Broad-Based committee that is tasked to enter into pre-coalition talks between UDA and ODM.

The 10-member committee has ODM and Ruto’s representatives and has no ally for Kindiki, with pundits saying Kindiki could have retreated to consolidate his home turf to negotiate for his position.

 Last week, Kindiki maintained that his position is not vacant and that he held the position in trust of Mt Kenya region communities, while ODM leader Oburu Oginga has hinted at working with the United Opposition if negotiations do not go the ODM way.

For Kindiki, his position was not up for grabs; without mincing his words, the second in command maintained that it was not a matter of begging to be Ruto’s running mate since he had ably acted his roles as Ruto’s Principal Assistant.

“When Rigathi Gachagua was impeached, President Ruto returned the DP post to the Mt Kenya region since the position did not belong to Gachagua; it is not mine either. I'm only holding it in trust of this community,” he told the Council of elders drawn from Mt Kenya East.

Kindiki urged the Mt Kenya East to re-elect Ruto, saying the move would increase his presidential bid in the 2032 succession game plan

“For us who come from Mt Kenya East, supporting Ruto for a second term is not an option; it's a must because voting for Ruto next year is voting for ourselves since he will serve his last term and we shall take over from him in 2032,” he said.

While dismissing leaders salivating for his position, Kindiki reiterated that he would not be moved by ‘the political noise makers’, saying he would continue to firmly discharge his duties.

“I will not let you down, I will not fail you, I will do my work well and make you proud, even those making noise also that I’m best placed for the job. We shall continue being there and we are not begging. I wish to inform them that the position of the Deputy President is not vacant. It has the owner and it is well occupied,” he said.

While responding to a section of ODM leaders to front Cooperatives Cabinet Secretary Wycliffe Oparanya to be President William Ruto’s running mate for the 2027 General Election, Kindiki has insisted that his position is non-negotiable and that the current ticket remains intact

He firmly defended his position, declaring that his place in government is non-negotiable and that he would not be sidelined.

The deputy president said there was no reason for the Mt Kenya region to build, complete and furnish a house only to abandon it and "go to live in the forest."

He maintained that he is in government to stay and urged the region to rally behind Ruto's re-election bid.