Kindiki skips Ruto’s running mate announcement event
By Mathew.Ndungu, May 15, 2022In an unusual turn of events, Tharaka Nithi senator Kithure Kindiki skipped Deputy President William Ruto’s event that saw Mathira Member of Parliament (MP) Rigathi Gachagua unveiled as the Kenya Kwanza running mate in the August 9 polls.
Kindiki, who was touted as a possible Ruto’s running mate and even had the support of the majority of Mount Kenya region parliamentarians, missed the event in what pundits say might be a way of expressing his displeasure.
Although no word has come from Kindiki as to why he missed the event, Ruto went on to shower him with praises as being his excellent lawyer who brought a wealth of experience to Kenya Kwanza.
“He brought a lot of commitment, experience, and passion to this contest. In the end, the consensus pointed to an individual who scored the most points in every evaluative parameter,” Ruto said.
Kindiki described as a calm politician
Parliamentarians, who wanted Kindiki to clinch the coveted position, describe him as an experienced, good-hearted, calm man of notably positive character who would have easily complimented Ruto.
The loss of the position to Gachagua has already started attracting criticism among Meru residents who wanted Ruto to go for a man from Mt Kenya East to foster a solution to their longstanding political cold as most of the coveted government positions end up in Mt Kenya West.
Kindiki first came into the public scene in 2011 when he represented Ruto as one of his lawyers at the International Criminal Court (ICC) where he had, alongside President Uhuru Kenyatta, been charged for allegedly orchestrating the post-electoral violence in 2007 that killed hundreds of people.
Besides being a lawyer, the Tharaka Nithi senator, and former senate deputy Speaker, Kindiki is known for having published numerous articles in peer-reviewed journals and has acted as a consultant for the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), the United Nations Development Program (UNDP) and other international and national organizations.