Deputy President Kithure Kindiki is keen to nationalise and professionalise the country’s second-most powerful office if his 75 days of holding fort are anything to go by.
The DP has employed a hands-on approach to tackling public service challenges, just like he did as Interior minister.
Kindiki is credited with silencing the guns in the Kerio Valley, where bandits ran roughshod, killing locals and driving away herds in their hundreds.
He is also hailed for ending the mess that was at Kenya’s passport control centres in Nairobi and across the country.
Hinting at his work rate, he explained away his rare absence during the festive season by saying he had not rested since his appointment as Interior CS.
In a departure from his predecessor’s style, the Deputy President has steered clear of high-octane politics, focusing on development instead.
Rigathi Gachagua was impeached last October for using the office to perpetuate tribalism in favour of his Mt Kenya backyard.
There were also grumbles he used the office to advance political agenda more than helping the President deliver on his mandate.
The Star has established that the DP is aiming to put a different show to what preceded him.
“He wants to make the office serve Kenyans as was envisioned by the Constitution makers, not the tribal enclave it was evolving into,” an insider said in confidence.
Kindiki, while handling his assignment of assisting President William Ruto, reportedly starts his day with meetings before embark ing on field trips.
“People expected to see him follow the president everywhere, there will be little of that as he aims to ensure work goes on undisrupted,” the source added.
Walking in his boss Ruto’s footsteps, Kindiki has been inspecting development projects in the areas he visits. Recently, he led government activities in Trans Nzoia, Mombasa and Kwale in a single day.
He inspected ongoing works at the Suam one-stop border post in Trans Nzoia before heading to Kwale’s Shimoni fish port project.
A day later, the DP visited Kenyatta National Hospital, which senior government officials have run away from despite its deplorable state.
He was there to assess the Taifa Care programme, yet another Ruto legacy project wrought with teething problems.
Political pundits say the office’s communication has also improved lately, holding that the DP has redefined the office’s role.
“Kindiki is making efforts to use new ink to write his story as DP,” political analyst and governance specialist Javas Bigambo said.
“He should, however, depart fromfeaturing much on Sunday service politics and strengthen the compassionate side of politics.”
The pundit adds that intergovernmental relations affairs need to be resolved with impressive finality under his watch.
“This is the new ink of legacy in his pen that he should ensure is indelible. The impact of it is already evident,” Bigambo said.
“It is this that will give him national significance, as opposed to trying hard on ethno-regional politics.”
Since taking over, the DP has visited more than 10 counties, including Taita Taveta, Turkana, Kitui, Nandi, Marsabit, Kirinyaga, Mombasa, Kwale and Trans Nzoia. Political watchers say the entourages have a national face.
In his messages, Kindiki has been urging Kenyans to be patient with Ruto’s administration, exuding confidence in the plan.
“He has tried so far but he has some fires to fight, especially on the political front. He has shown he would like to be accepted nationally but he has to be accepted at home,” USIU foreign relations don Macharia Munene said.
Some quarters hailed him as a crusader of unity in the country and a champion of good political values. “Some expected him to attack other leaders and engage in political contests, but he has remained a technocrat focused on streamlining the delivery of services,” David Ndung’u said.
Insiders say the DP has resorted to employing the hands-on style to governance issues “to give the office a new meaning”.
It is understood that the Deputy
President is not keen on immersing himself in the Mt Kenya political competition either, only steering
development projects.
