– Kithure Kindiki –

Kindiki, 52, is an academic turned political heavyweight who was thrust into the limelight when he defended Ruto at the International Criminal Court.

Though praised by supporters for having a common touch, the law professor came under fire over alleged police brutality during the sometimes deadly anti-government protests that rocked Kenya earlier this year.

He has also faced scrutiny over his $5.4 million wealth, which he insists comes largely from his law firm and other small businesses.

In 2011, Ruto — then an opposition MP — chose Kindiki to join his legal team to fight charges of crimes against humanity at the ICC over 2007-08 post-election tribal violence that killed more than 1,100 people.

The cases against both Ruto and former president Uhuru Kenyatta eventually collapsed, which was blamed by the prosecution on witness intimidation.

Kindiki, who was born into humble beginnings in the vote-rich Mount Kenya region, taught law at university before joining the government in 2008 as secretary of national cohesion in the election violence aftermath.

But he only served in the post for 100 days and he was soon back in the classroom, before his ICC role.

Kindiki was elected a senator in 2013 and again in 2017.

He became a casualty of the Kenyatta-Ruto fallout in the runup to the 2022 election, removed as deputy Senate speaker in a purge of Ruto allies.

Many had expected Ruto to pick Kindiki as his running mate in 2022, but Gachagua came out on top.

Ruto later rewarded Kindiki with the plum role of interior minister.

He became the target of public anger when he defended police actions during the youth-led demonstrations which saw at least 60 people killed.

Ruto sacked Kindiki in July along with almost all government ministers but he was swiftly reappointed to a revamped cabinet.

– Anne Waiguru –

Waiguru has served under three presidents and is lauded by women’s rights groups as a trailblazer in a country where parliamentary gender equality still lags.

But the county governor, 53, has come under repeated scrutiny for links to corruption.

Waiguru began her public service career as a technical adviser for public reforms under former president Mwai Kibaki, who was in office for a decade until 2013.

She then caught the eye of Kibaki’s successor Kenyatta and became head of the brand-new Ministry of Devolution and Planning.

She was celebrated for programmes that decentralised government services, giving access to millions of Kenyans outside Nairobi.

But she was forced to quit in 2016 over a scandal that saw billions of shillings vanish from her ministry.

Despite never admitting wrongdoing, and instead blaming the decision on ill health — she earned the dubious honour of becoming the first cabinet secretary under Kenyatta to resign.

A year later Waiguru won the post of governor and after surviving an impeachment attempt in 2019 following yet more graft claims, she secured re-election in 2022.

– Musalia Mudavadi –

The 64-year-old former vice president is currently prime cabinet secretary and foreign minister.

An economics graduate and former real estate consultant, he made history in 1989 as Kenya’s youngest ever minister at the age of 28.

He served as finance minister between 1993 and 1998 and has held various ministerial positions under three presidents.

His finance ministry tenure was tainted by a scandal involving fake gold bought by the government.

A member of the Luhya tribe, Kenya’s second biggest, he was the only minister to survive Ruto’s July cabinet purge.

Often accused of being indecisive, he has spent significant years of his career serving as number two to Kenya’s political kingpins.

– Irungu Kang’ata –

The 44-year-old lawyer has been politically active from a young age. A former student leader, Kang’ata became a local councillor at the age of 22 and later an MP.

He was elected senator in 2017 and a county governor in 2022, one step shy of contesting all elective posts apart from the presidency.

He once successfully represented a shopping mall security guard in a closely-followed case that led to the resignation of a deputy chief justice accused of pulling a gun on the guard when she reportedly refused to be searched.

– Mwangi Kiunjuri –

Kiunjuri, a 57-year-old MP in central Kenya, is known as a straight shooter with deft communication skills especially in his native Kikuyu language.

A teacher by training, he was elected to parliament in 1997 aged 28, then the youngest legislator.

He served as assistant minister in various ministries for a decade from 2003.

In 2008, he was accused of being among politicians that sponsored the post-2007 election violence.

He tasted his first political defeat in 2013 when he unsuccessfully contested a county gubernatorial seat.

But he made a comeback as devolution minister in 2015, and has also served at the agriculture ministry.

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© Agence France-Presse