The Senate upheld Gachagua's impeachment by the National Assembly in a historic vote taken late Thursday night.
Senate Speaker Amason Kingi immediately declared the Deputy President's office vacant in a gazette notice circulated on the same night.
To fill the vacancy, National Assembly Speaker Moses Wetang'ula announced on Friday morning that President Ruto had submitted the name of Prof. Kindiki for approval to replace Gachagua.
The House is expected to hold a special sitting on Friday morning to consider Prof. Kindiki's nomination.
Kindiki is likely to be approved by MPs as Ruto enjoys a majority in the House.
If Kindiki's nomination is approved, he will be formally appointed and sworn in as Kenya's Deputy President.
The 52-year-old is a seasoned lawyer and former senator who represented Tharaka Nithi County between 2013 and 2022. He was also part of a team of lawyers who represented Ruto at the International Criminal Court (ICC) in The Hague, Netherlands, in the crimes against humanity case related to the 2007-2008 post-election violence. The charges against Ruto were later vacated due to insufficient evidence.
Kindiki was among the top candidates considered as President Ruto's running mate for his presidential campaign. Ruto, however, settled on Gachagua despite a majority of MPs in Ruto's party overwhelmingly supporting Kindiki. Instead, Kindiki was appointed to serve as the Interior Minister.
Gachagua Ousted
Gachagua, who is widely reported to have fallen out with President Ruto in recent months, was impeached after Senators upheld five of the 11 grounds tabled for his removal.
Fifty-four senators voted to impeach Gachagua on the first count of gross violation of the Constitution, while 13 voted against his ouster. The charges under this ground included accusations of dividing Kenyans along ethnic lines. The National Assembly cited several instances where he compared the government to a company, suggesting that certain regions held more shares than others.
Besides engaging in divisive politics, Gachagua faced a host of other accusations, including economic crimes, money laundering, insubordination, undermining the government and devolution, as well as bullying and intimidating state officers. However, the charges of economic crimes, money laundering, and bullying failed to gain sufficient support.
The Kenyan Senate required a two-thirds majority, which equates to at least 45 out of the 67 senators, to successfully impeach the Deputy President on any single charge.
Gachagua is the first Deputy President in Kenya's history to be removed from office through an impeachment process. The impeachment bars him from ever holding public office.
The Senate proceeded with the impeachment trial despite Deputy President Gachagua falling ill and being hospitalized. He is expected to move to court to challenge the impeachment.
Wycliffe Nyamasege
