Deputy President Kithure Kindiki showed a rare fiery side this past week, rebuking his boss Rigathi Gachagua while also deepening economic empowerment initiatives across the country.
During a charged address in Murang’a on Tuesday, May 27, Kindiki directly responded to criticism over his meeting with Mt Kenya musicians at his Karen residence. In a pointed rebuke, he accused Gachagua of intimidating others to police political loyalty.
“So if they don’t go to the Deputy President, who will they go to?” he asked defiantly. He vowed to dismantle exploitation networks targeting musicians, declaring, “We mean business.”
Amid the political tensions, Kindiki mourned the passing of literary icon Prof. Ngũgĩ wa Thiong’o on May 28, hailing him as one of Kenya’s finest intellectuals and a respected global thinker. “Even those who disagreed with his views respected him,” he said in a heartfelt tribute.
Away from politics, Kindiki kept a full schedule focused on grassroots economic empowerment. On May 29, he attended the Empowerment Forum for Micro and Small Enterprises SACCOs in Kisii, promising government support to boost household incomes through initiatives like NYOTA and KJET.
He stressed the importance of inclusive development, saying, “Those who used to advocate for development based on voting patterns should understand that it is unconstitutional.”
The Deputy President also presided over multiple meetings to coordinate infrastructure rollout for flagship projects like Dongo Kundu, Naivasha SEZ, and 47 County Aggregation and Industrial Parks.
He toured the Isiolo–Mandera Highway project, inspecting the Sh8.3 billion Kula Mawe–Isiolo section, and received progress reports on the national livestock and dairy programmes.
On Monday, May 26, Kindiki led an empowerment forum for traders in Kiambu, and later in the week, he continued sensitisation events in Mathioya, Murang’a, where he announced a Sh1.2 billion last-mile power connectivity programme.
Kindiki capped the week at the National Prayer Breakfast, calling for unity, reflection, and reconciliation. “We have an opportunity to build better relationships… and realise a more cohesive, united, and equitable country,” he said.
It was a week where Kindiki stepped firmly into the national spotlight assertive, compassionate, and focused.
