Before fate catapulted him to the country’s second-highest office, Professor Abraham Kithure Kindiki was often dismissed as a timid functionary in William Ruto’s power orbit. Soft-spoken and mild-mannered, he rarely rattled the system, operating more like a quiet footnote than a commanding force.
But the political tide turned after the impeachment of Rigathi Gachagua. With the deputy president’s seat up for grabs, few doubted Kindiki would step in. What no one expected was the fiery transformation that would follow.
At first, Kindiki cut a clumsy figure, drawing ridicule for his deference to Ruto and even appearing to take instructions from the President’s close ally, Farouk Kibet. Critics painted him as a submissive puppet, a man without a voice of his own.
That image, however, was not to last. Bruised by mockery and stung by caricatures of his timidity, Kindiki chose reinvention. Gone was the sheepish conciliator; in his place emerged a bolder, sharper, and more combative deputy president.
Armed with the slogan “Mi ni noma si noma, ni fire si fire!”, Kindiki began delivering blistering speeches that blended populist energy with political venom. His once-muted tone was replaced with a forceful cadence, searing clarity, and a willingness to take on opponents head-on.
The transformation became most evident in June, when he launched a scathing attack on Gachagua, dismissing him as a man of “hollow threats, arrogance, and incompetence.” No longer content with polite rebukes, Kindiki promised to “obliterate petty theatrics in the most spectacular and decisive manner.”
The State quickly capitalized on his newfound fire, dispatching him nationwide on “Empowerment Tours” highly publicized events blending philanthropy with political theater. Here, Kindiki showcased not only his sharpened rhetoric but also state-backed largesse, positioning himself as a formidable power broker.
Today, the former law professor has shed the “Mr. Nice Guy” tag. He has recast himself as Ruto’s fiercest combatant, a streetwise player of realpolitik with claws bared and ambitions intact. Whether this fiery persona is sustainable or merely a phase remains to be seen, but one thing is clear: Kithure Kindiki is no longer whispering in the corridors of power he is roaring at the gates.
