VIDEO: Kindiki angry after security blocks Wajir governor from using DP's podium

Deputy President Kithure Kindiki caused a stir after questioning security officers who stopped Wajir Governor Ahmed Abdullahi from using the DP’s podium during a government meeting.

The incident happened during a Special Session of the Intergovernmental Budget and Economic Council (IBEC), which brought together senior national and county government leaders to discuss shared economic priorities.

Kindiki had invited Abdullahi, who is also the Council of Governors chairperson, to the stage to deliver his remarks. However, as the governor approached the podium, security and protocol officers moved in and directed him to a side microphone instead.

A video capturing the interaction shows Kindiki questioning the officers’ decision to prevent the governor from using the main lectern.

“If he uses my podium, what would happen to me?” Kindiki asked, addressing the room and the security detail.

Kindiki then dismissed the restrictions as outdated, referring to them as “mambo ya zamani” and questioning why such rules should interfere with the smooth running of official proceedings.

The exchange highlighted the strict protocol traditionally observed at high-level government functions, where podiums assigned to the President or Deputy President are generally reserved for their exclusive use.

The rules are enforced by security and protocol teams to maintain order, protect the symbols of executive authority and preserve the established hierarchy at official events.

The incident also echoes a similar controversy in September 2023, when then Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua publicly reprimanded senior government officials, including Cabinet secretaries and governors, for using the presidential podium during an official event.

Gachagua declined to use President William Ruto’s podium at the time, arguing that allowing other officials to use the Head of State’s lectern amounted to a breach of state protocol.

Kindiki’s reaction marks a notably different approach to the long-standing protocol around the use of presidential and deputy presidential podiums, with the Deputy President appearing to favour a less rigid interpretation of the rules.