NAIROBI, Oct 18 (Reuters) – Kenyan President William Ruto chose Interior Minister Kithure Kindiki as his new deputy on Friday, but a court blocked his appointment until it hears a case next week challenging the impeachment of Kindiki’s predecessor.
The high court’s intervention came after lawmakers had already approved Kindiki’s appointment on Friday. It extends a period of political turmoil in the East African country that started with mass protests against unpopular tax hikes in June.
The Senate vote on Thursday to uphold impeachment charges against Ruto’s previous deputy, Rigathi Gachagua, marked the first time that a Kenyan deputy president had been removed from office by impeachment.
In an order, the high court in the capital Nairobi said Kindiki’s appointment as deputy president and the Senate’s resolution upholding impeachment charges against Gachagua were suspended until Oct. 24, when a bench of judges appointed by the chief justice will debate the issue.
A second court order said Kindiki cannot assume office until the case is heard.
Gachagua was impeached on five out of 11 charges including gross violation of the constitution and stirring ethnic hatred – accusations that he denied and dismissed as politically motivated.
Kindiki was a top contender to be Ruto’s running mate during the 2022 election and was appointed interior minister shortly after the president took office in September that year.
The interior ministry includes oversight of the police. Rights groups have accused the police of using excessive force during the nationwide protests earlier this year that called for the withdrawal of a now-shelved finance law and reforms to tackle corruption.
During an appearance before parliament in September, Kindiki said police acted within the law and that the government did not engage in extrajudicial killings or abductions.
Gachagua helped Ruto secure a large block of votes from the populous central Kenya region during the 2022 election. But in recent months, he has spoken of being sidelined, amid widespread reports in local media signalling a rift with Ruto as political alliances shifted.
Gachagua, who was hospitalised and absent during the Senate vote to dismiss him, filed a petition on Friday seeking to stop Ruto from naming his replacement pending a judicial hearing, a court filing showed.
The 59-year-old politician has filed or is a party to several cases challenging the impeachment process.
(Reporting by George Obulutsa and Humphrey Malalo; Writing by Bhargav Acharya;Editing by Alexander Winning, Ammu Kannampilly, Andrew Heavens and Angus MacSwan, William Maclean)
