Kenyan President William Ruto today appointed Home Affairs Minister Kithure Kindiki as the new Deputy President, hours after the historic impeachment of Rigathi Gachagua, the Speaker of the National Assembly announced.
"This morning I received a message from His Excellency the President regarding the appointment of Professor Kithure Kindiki (...) to fill the vacant position of Deputy President of the Republic of Kenya following the impeachment of the previous incumbent," Moses Wetangula announced to MPs.
Rigathi Gachagua was removed from office on Thursday after an unprecedented process that culminated several months of conflict with President William Ruto.
Gachagua, 59, who was hospitalized at the time of the vote, became the first vice president to be removed from office under an impeachment process provided for in the 2010 Constitution.
A week after the National Assembly adopted the impeachment motion by an overwhelming majority, the Senate found him guilty of "serious violations" of the Constitution, in particular threats to judges and ethnically divisive political practices.
But he was found not guilty of allegations of corruption and money laundering.
The historic process has raised uncertainty in Kenya, considered a stable democracy in an unstable region.
Ruto had chosen Gachagua as his running mate for the 2022 presidential election, despite a sulphurous reputation marked by several corruption allegations.
With a solid network of influence, particularly in the strategic Mount Kenya region, this former businessman from the Kikuyu ethnic group - the majority in the country - played a crucial role in Ruto's victory over his rival Raila Odinga (50.49% to 48.85%).
But relations between the two men at the head of state deteriorated, particularly after an anti-government movement that shook the country in June and July.
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