NAIROBI, Kenya July 28 – Deputy President Kithure Kindiki’s brief dismissal of viral claims that he had been stripped of key government responsibilities has now received backing from a governance expert, who says the controversy is based on a misunderstanding of Kenya’s legal framework rather than an actual transfer of power.
The debate erupted after social media was flooded with reports alleging that President William Ruto had reassigned Kindiki’s role in coordinating intergovernmental affairs to Prime Cabinet Secretary Musalia Mudavadi.
However, Kindiki brushed aside the reports in a short message posted on X.
“Fake news,” Kindiki wrote.
His response came as speculation continued online, although neither State House nor the Office of the Prime Cabinet Secretary has issued an official statement confirming that any such reassignment has taken place.
Governance and devolution expert John Burugu argues that the claims have been exaggerated and fail to consider how Kenya’s intergovernmental system is established under the Constitution and various Acts of Parliament.
According to Burugu, if any administrative adjustments have been made, they should not be interpreted as stripping the Deputy President of constitutional or statutory powers.
Instead, he says the issue highlights a long-standing administrative gap created by the absence of a substantive Cabinet Secretary responsible for Devolution.
“The perceived loss, politically, by the Deputy President is misplaced because it is a move to correct a mistake by the same administration aimed at easing operational and administrative hiccups,” Burugu said.
He added that assigning certain administrative responsibilities elsewhere would merely address operational challenges rather than diminish the office of the Deputy President.
“Therefore, there is no political fodder as is being hyped over the matter,” he stated.
Burugu further noted that one of the Deputy President’s most significant intergovernmental responsibilities remains protected by law.
He explained that Section 187(1)(a) of the Public Finance Management Act expressly provides that the Deputy President chairs the Intergovernmental Budget and Economic Council (IBEC), the body responsible for coordinating fiscal relations between the national and county governments.
According to the expert, that position cannot change unless Parliament amends the law.
“It is expected that legal provision under the PFM Act would prevail and allow H.E. Prof. Kithure Kindiki to continue chairing this fiscal intergovernmental structure,” Burugu said.
He added that only an amendment to the Public Finance Management Act could remove the Deputy President as IBEC chair.
Presidential Special Projects Head Dennis Itumbi also rejected the reports, saying the claims were based on a misunderstanding of Kenya’s intergovernmental governance structure.
According to Itumbi, intergovernmental relations are shared among several legally established institutions, including the National and County Government Coordinating Summit, IBEC, the Intergovernmental Relations Technical Committee (IGRTC) and the Council of Governors.
He maintained that IBEC remains chaired by the Deputy President as required by law and argued that suggesting one office had taken over another’s constitutional mandate was inaccurate.
“The claims are FAKE NEWS,” Itumbi said.
“Each institution has a specific mandate. Suggesting that one office has taken over another’s constitutional or statutory role is simply inaccurate.”
Despite the online debate, no government institution has officially confirmed that the Deputy President has been stripped of any statutory responsibilities.