Wamalwa: Kindiki is first selected, not third elected DP
By Kenneth Mwenda, April 26, 2026Former Cabinet Secretary Eugene Wamalwa has said Deputy President Kithure Kindiki holds office as the first “selected, not elected” Deputy President in Kenya’s history.
He made the remarks during a church service in Bamburi, Mombasa County, on Sunday, April 26, 2026, where he defended the political and electoral legitimacy of former Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua.
Wamalwa used the platform to contrast the circumstances under which Gachagua and Kindiki assumed office, linking the debate to ongoing legal disputes over Gachagua’s impeachment. He insisted that Kenya’s constitutional history of the deputy presidency should not be rewritten through political processes.
“Kando na kuombea the third governor of Mombasa, tunaomba ya kwamba mumuombee the second deputy president of the Republic of Kenya,” Wamalwa said.
He added:
“Na kwa historia yetu ya Kenya, hakutakuwa na another second deputy president of the Republic. Ni huyu Rigathi Gachagua. Hiyo historia haiwezi kubadilika. Kwa sababu yeye alichaguliwa.”
Wamalwa argued that under the 2010 Constitution, Kenya has only had two elected Deputy Presidents. He named President William Ruto as the first, elected alongside the fourth president, Uhuru Kenyatta, and Gachagua as the second elected holder of the office.
“Wa kwanza chini ya katiba mpya alikuwa William Ruto, aliyechaguliwa na Uhuru Kenyatta. Wa pili ni huyu Riggy G, ako kwa kanisa lenu leo,” he said.
He then drew a distinction between elected and appointed leadership, saying the current office holder should not be treated as part of the same electoral lineage.
“Yule aliyeko sasa, sio the third deputy president. Yeye ni the first, not elected, selected, deputy president. The first in our history,” Wamalwa said.
Wamalwa questioned the legitimacy of the current arrangement, asking the congregation whether the public had voted for it.
“Ama nyinyi mlimpigia kura hapa? Yule mlipigia kura watu milioni saba alikuwa Riggy G,” he said.
Gachagua returns to court
His remarks come as former Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua intensifies his legal challenge against his removal from office. Speaking in Bamburi during the same visit, Gachagua confirmed that he will return to court on Monday to contest his impeachment, which he describes as unlawful.
“I will be in court from tomorrow to Wednesday to file a petition challenging that illegal process,” Gachagua said.
He said he had already briefed his family on the matter, adding that they had been affected by the public nature of his impeachment and its aftermath.
Wamalwa also said political disputes between the opposition and President William Ruto’s administration had shifted from politics to the courts. He claimed Parliament had acted with unusual speed during Gachagua’s impeachment and questioned the process used.
“Tangu ajiunge nasi, tumekuwa tukipigana kisiasa na bwana Kasongo. Lakini kesho, tunapigana kisheria na tutakuwa kortini na tunaomba ya kwamba mumuombee haki iweze kufanyika,” he said.
“Bunge letu la Kenya limetekwa nyara. Mkikumbuka impeachment yake iliharakishwa kabisa. In both Houses of Parliament hakuna jambo limepitishwa kwa speed ile impeachment ya Riggy G ilipitishwa,” Wamalwa added.
Despite his criticism of Parliament, Wamalwa expressed confidence in the judiciary, saying it remains the only institution still trusted to handle constitutional disputes fairly.
“We are sure though our Parliament is captured, tuna matumaini kubwa na our Judiciary. It’s the only remaining institution ambayo hajakuwa captured,” he said.
He added that the courts would soon be tested by the case.
“Beginning tomorrow, that independence of the judiciary will be tested, and we are hoping it will come through and give justice to Rigathi Gachagua,” Wamalwa said.
The remarks add to the growing political and legal debate surrounding the impeachment of Gachagua in October 2024, which made him the first Deputy President under the 2010 Constitution to be removed from office. He has since aligned himself with opposition leaders as he continues to pursue his case in court.