NAIROBI, Kenya, Aug 24 — Interior Cabinet Secretary Kipchumba Murkomen has projected a Ruto-Kindiki ticket in 2027, telling Deputy President Kithure Kindiki that President William Ruto will begin a second term “together with you”.
Murkomen made the remarks on Monday during the Kenya Prisons Service 27th Officer Cadet Passing-Out Parade at the Prisons Staff Training College in Ruiru, where Kindiki represented Ruto after the President asked him to attend the event at short notice.
The remarks inject fresh political significance into Kindiki’s position as negotiations continue over a proposed UDA-ODM alliance ahead of the 2027 elections, with the Deputy President position emerging as a key bargaining point.
“We want to say that as a ministry we will continue supporting you and the President to make sure that the remaining part of the programs in the next one year are completed, so that as His Excellency starts a new term together with you after next year’s elections, we will be having now newer programs to upscale the issues we have promised the people of Kenya to the next level,” Murkomen said.
The Interior CS did not indicate whether UDA and ODM had reached an agreement on the running-mate position.
Senior ODM figures, including National Assembly Minority Leader Junet Mohamed, have repeatedly said the party would negotiate for the position of Deputy President as part of a proposed coalition arrangement with UDA and Kenya Kwanza.
The proposed alliance has triggered competing claims over who would occupy the second-highest office if Ruto secures re-election, with ODM singling out the seat as a key component of any agreement.
Kindiki’s allies and senior UDA politicians have maintained that the incumbent Deputy President should retain his position.
Public Service Cabinet Secretary Geoffrey Ruku has previously told ODM to forget the Deputy President position, insisting that Kindiki would remain in office during Ruto’s second term.
Murkomen’s comments add to the political messaging around the proposed UDA-ODM alliance as the running-mate question remains unresolved.
Praise for Kindiki
At Monday’s ceremony, Murkomen said Ruto had been expected to preside over the event but asked Kindiki to represent him at short notice.
“We were expecting His Excellency the President, but on a very short notice His Excellency asked you to be here. And indeed, you have shelved a number of activities and important meetings that you were to attend to be present with us today for this very important occasion,” he said.
Murkomen also used the ceremony to highlight ongoing reforms in the National Police Service, Kenya Prisons Service and National Youth Service, saying the graduation of the cadets was part of the wider reform programme.
“Your Excellency, we are on track. There was the task force that was established by His Excellency the President on reforms in the National Police Service, the Prison Service, and the National Youth Service,” he said.
He said about 3,800 police constables had graduated earlier in the year and called for regular recruitment to replace officers leaving the service through retirement and other forms of attrition.
The ceremony also featured the commissioning of the Wanini Kireri Magereza Hospital, with Murkomen crediting Kindiki with laying the foundation for several projects in the department during his tenure as Interior Cabinet Secretary.
Murkomen said the government was seeking to shift the focus of correctional services from punishment to rehabilitation through healthcare, farming and commercialisation programmes.
“We want to have prison services that are going to do the work that is going to change the people that come here and become better citizens when they exit,” he said.
Murkomen, who served as Kindiki’s deputy when the latter was Senate Majority Leader, also praised his performance as Deputy President, saying he had carried the professionalism he demonstrated as Interior Cabinet Secretary into his current office.
“Since you became the Deputy President, you have carried out the professionalism that you showed as a Cabinet Secretary Interior to the Office of the Deputy President. Now the Office of the Deputy President is more dignified, it is respected, it is engaging,” Murkomen said.
The thirty-six officer cadets who passed out on Monday completed a 13-month training programme at the Prisons Staff Training College in Ruiru and are set to join the Kenya Prisons Service.
