The simmering rivalry between Deputy President Kithure Kindiki and his ousted predecessor Rigathi Gachagua has once again burst into the open, with Kindiki bluntly telling the former deputy president to “stay in your lane” as the two men trade increasingly sharp barbs over how to interpret Kenya’s constitution.
At the centre of the row is a disagreement over how the constitution treats presidential terms. Kindiki’s position is that the document guarantees President William Ruto the right to a second term in office. Gachagua flatly rejects this reading, arguing that the constitution only sets out five-year terms with elections held every five years — and that no incumbent is automatically handed a second chance at the top job without first winning it at the ballot box.
Kindiki was quick to remind Kenyans of his legal pedigree, pointing out that as a law professor he has spent years studying constitutions from across the globe. Rather than engage with Gachagua’s specific arguments, he took a broader swing, dismissing the former deputy president’s criticism as the product of “insults, division and primitive politics.” In Kindiki’s framing, the dispute is less about genuine constitutional scholarship and more about political point-scoring from a man who no longer holds office.
Gachagua, never one to take a punch without throwing one back, was unsparing in his response. He told Kindiki directly: “Please, don’t embarrass us…You are thinking and reading the Constitution upside down.” The former deputy president stuck firmly to his reading of the law, maintaining that the constitution is clear — presidents serve five-year terms, elections are held every five years, and nothing in the document hands any head of state an automatic second term.
The exchange lays bare how completely the relationship between Kenya’s two former running mates has broken down. Once bound by a shared political ticket, Kindiki and Gachagua now find themselves on opposite sides of almost every conversation, with disagreements over policy and governance direction driving a wedge that shows no sign of closing.
For ordinary Kenyans watching from the sidelines, the spat raises an uncomfortable question about leadership at the highest levels of government. With senior officials swapping insults over constitutional interpretation rather than focusing on pressing national matters, many citizens will be left wondering whether this very public feud is truly about upholding the law — or whether it is simply a contest of egos playing out for political advantage.
0 comments