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Keiyo South Member of Parliament (MP) Gideon Kimaiyo has hailed the impact Kithure Kindiki has had since he was nominated and appointed as the Deputy President.

Kindiki replaced Rigathi Gachagua when the latter was impeached by the National Assembly, and in those days Kindiki has been in office, Kimaiyo says, has been impactful.

“In just over a month, Deputy President @KindikiKithure has already visited half the country. For the first time in a long while, Kenyans truly feel represented in the Office of the Deputy President,” Kimaiyo said in a post on X on Wednesday, December 11, 2024.

Ruto’s complaints

After Gachagua was ousted, Ruto, during Kindiki’s swearing-in ceremony, complained that he had been a lone voice in the executive.

Since assuming his duties, the former Tharaka-Nithi Senator has defended the president and championed the agendas of the ruling party in almost every function he attends.

Recently, he defended the implementation of the Social Health Authority (SHA), which has been massively criticised since its rollout. President Ruto has also defended the health sector programmme, saying it is meant to help Kenyans deal with health challenges.

“One year from now, the people who are challenging this programme will be shocked. We tried to introduce this system under former President Mwai Kibaki, but it was marred by politics, and Kibaki said, ‘Let us take it slow’.

“President Uhuru tried around 2018 when he came up with the Big Four Agenda; one of them was Universal Health Care. Politics came, and we backtracked,” Kindiki explained.

Kindiki has also defended President Ruto from persistent criticism.

“Mtu yeyote ambaye ni kiongozi ako na uhuru wa kuleta maoni vile Kenya hii ingekua bora zaidi, lakini ailetee  kwa uzalendo na upendo na akiwa mtu ambaye anaipenda nchi yake tusikosoane na nia ya kuharibiana heshima na njia ya kuleta uchochezi.

“Any leader who is inciting any citizen of the society is not worth that title of leadership, wale viongozi ambao hawana cha kuambia wananchi, wanachochea wananchi na kuleta uchochezi badala ya kusema kuna shida mahali na mimi naona tutaue hio shida; ukisema hivi, utakua na heshima na watu watajua kweli wewe uko na nia njema kwa taifa letu,” he said recently.