Deputy President Kithure Kindiki has vowed to defend his position against any attempt to remove him from office, amid emerging political negotiations over the 2027 presidential contest and the possibility of a new alliance between the ruling United Democratic Alliance (UDA) and the Orange Democratic Movement (ODM).
Speaking in Tharaka Nithi on Friday, Dr Kindiki said he would not surrender the Deputy President’s office simply because political forces were seeking to influence the shape of the next administration.
“I am the fireman, and now, by the grace of God, the Deputy President of Kenya. Do you think there is anybody who can remove me from this seat and chase me away? It is not possible. I will defend myself,” Dr Kindiki told thousands of UDA grassroots officials.
His declaration comes at a politically sensitive moment, with the Deputy President’s position increasingly featuring in discussions about possible cooperation between President William Ruto’s UDA and ODM ahead of the 2027 General Election.
ODM leader Oburu Oginga has indicated that his party will not field a presidential candidate and is prepared to support President Ruto’s re-election, while maintaining that other senior positions could form part of negotiations between the two parties.
The emerging debate has triggered a strong response from allies of Dr Kindiki, who have insisted that the Deputy President’s position is not available for political bargaining.
Public Service Cabinet Secretary Geoffrey Ruku has said Dr Kindiki will remain Deputy President through the 2027 election and into the next administration should President Ruto secure a second term.
Dr Kindiki’s remarks in Tharaka Nithi appeared to reinforce that position, with the Deputy President making it clear that he would resist any political attempt to dislodge him.
He invoked President Ruto’s experience as deputy president under former President Uhuru Kenyatta, recalling the political tensions that preceded the 2022 elections.
“Our President, William Ruto, during the last days, disagreed with his former boss. They tried to remove Ruto, but it was not possible because he had many friends and he was the Deputy President. He stayed firm until the end,” Dr Kindiki said.
He added: “I will defend myself. I cannot simply be chased away; I will defend myself.”
The Deputy President was addressing about 15,000 UDA grassroots officials drawn from across Tharaka Nithi County, in what amounted to an early mobilisation of the ruling party’s political machinery ahead of the election year.
Dr Kindiki congratulated the officials on their election and formally commissioned them to take the government’s message to voters and defend the party’s record ahead of the 2027 polls.
He described UDA as the only political party in Kenya with elected officials in every polling centre, saying the grassroots structures would be critical in communicating the administration’s achievements directly to voters.
According to Dr Kindiki, the party has about 20 officials in every polling centre who will form the frontline of its political campaign as the country moves towards the next General Election.
He told the officials that their responsibility would go beyond party mobilisation to explaining to Kenyans what the government has delivered since President Ruto assumed office in 2022.
The officials, he said, would be expected to explain the administration’s interventions in agriculture, education, healthcare, job creation, electricity connectivity, roads, markets and sports infrastructure.
“They are the first line of defence and the chief explainers of the steps the government has taken so far,” Dr Kindiki said.
The mobilisation signals an increasingly aggressive effort by UDA to translate government programmes into political support at the grassroots, particularly as the administration enters its final year before the 2027 election.
Dr Kindiki defended the government’s record, arguing that Kenyans elected the administration on the promise of improving their livelihoods rather than engaging in endless political rhetoric.
He said the government’s focus should remain on projects and services that directly affect ordinary citizens, including improved agricultural productivity, better healthcare, education opportunities, modern markets, roads, electricity connections and employment.
He challenged UDA officials to communicate these interventions to communities and counter what he described as misinformation and politically motivated narratives being spread by opposition groups.
The Deputy President accused political opponents of relying heavily on personal attacks, nicknames and political slogans instead of offering alternative policy proposals.
He urged the grassroots officials to concentrate on explaining what the government had achieved and what it intended to deliver before the next election.
The mobilisation in Tharaka Nithi also offered an early glimpse into how UDA intends to organise its campaign for President Ruto’s re-election.
Dr Kindiki said the ruling party and its political partners would seek another term on the strength of the administration’s development record.
The 15,000 officials gathered in Irunduni are expected to form part of a wider grassroots network tasked with selling the government’s message at polling-station level.
The Deputy President portrayed the officials as the party’s political foot soldiers, capable of countering what he termed “lies and empty chants and slogans” from opposition formations.
The gathering also demonstrated the importance UDA attaches to its grassroots structures as the political temperature rises ahead of 2027.
With alliances beginning to take shape and senior parties negotiating possible electoral partnerships, the battle for grassroots support is expected to intensify across the country.
For Dr Kindiki, however, Friday’s message was as much about defending the government’s record as it was about drawing a political line around his own position in the administration.
His declaration that he would defend the Deputy President’s office adds a new dimension to the unfolding succession politics, even as UDA seeks to consolidate its support base and build momentum for President Ruto’s re-election bid.
