Nairobi (AFP) - Kenya’s parliament on Friday unanimously voted to back the nomination of President William Ruto’s pick to replace his deputy Rigathi Gachagua who was sacked in a historic impeachment.

But in a further twist in the fast-moving political drama, almost immediately after the vote, a high court issued an injunction suspending the replacement process.

Ruto’s nominee, Kithure Kindiki, a 52-year-old academic turned political heavyweight, had been among the front-runners floated by political analysts after the Senate voted to remove Gachagua late Thursday.

The impeachment of Ruto’s 2022 election running mate has transfixed the East African country, generally regarded as a stable democracy in a turbulent region.

The high-stakes political drama continued apace on Friday as National Assembly speaker Moses Wetangula announced Ruto’s choice of Kindiki in the morning.

A few hours later, parliamentarians voted 236 in favour, with no abstention or votes opposed.

“The vote is overwhelmingly ‘yes’ and so the nomination is hereby declared passed by the house,” Wetangula said.

Kindiki – who has served as interior minister in Ruto’s government for more than two years – now becomes deputy president elect but must still be formally appointed by the president and sworn in.

However, responding to a petition from Gachagua’s legal team a high court issued an injunction effectively suspending the process until October 24.

“Due to the issues raised in the petition and application, and the urgency demonstrated, a conservatory order is hereby issued staying implementation of the resolution by the Senate,” the order read.

It follows the decision by the Senate upper house of parliament to push ahead with Gachagua’s impeachment on Thursday – finding him guilty of five out of the 11 charges against him – despite the absence of the embattled 59-year-old due to ill health.

He is the first deputy president to be impeached since the process was introduced in Kenya’s revised 2010 constitution.

Gachagua failed to testify in his defence after being rushed to hospital in a Nairobi suburb, plunging the session into disarray.

The Senate rejected an appeal by Gachagua’s legal team to delay the hearings, prompting the lawyers to walk out in protest.

Kenya’s The Standard newspaper on Friday ran an image of Gachagua with the headline “Fired”.

“The night of long knives that sealed Gachagua’s fate,” The Nation wrote on its website.

His downfall is the culmination of a bitter falling out with Ruto, whom he helped win a closely fought election in 2022 by rallying support from the crucial Mount Kenya region.

The National Assembly, the lower house of parliament, had overwhelmingly also voted for impeachment in an October 8 vote.

Gachagua was admitted to Karen Hospital with chest pains and will remain for tests and observation for 48 to 72 hours, chief cardiologist Dan Gikonyo told reporters Thursday, describing his condition as stable.

- ‘Gross violation’ -

Gachagua was found guilty on charges of “gross violation” of the constitution, including threatening judges and practising ethnically divisive politics, but cleared of others including corruption and money-laundering.

He has denied all the charges and no criminal proceedings have been launched against him.

A powerful businessman from Kenya’s biggest tribe, the Kikuyu, Gachagua – also known as “Riggy G” – weathered previous corruption scandals to become deputy leader as Ruto’s running mate in the 2022 poll.

But in recent weeks, he has complained of being sidelined by the president, while also being accused of supporting youth-led anti-government protests that broke out in June.

Ruto has not given any public comment on the impeachment, but Gachagua has said the process could not have gone ahead without his boss’s blessing.