The Deputy President has made headlines several times for his claims that President Uhuru Kenyatta has sidelined him in carrying out executive duties. Opponents have frequently advised him to resign if he feels marginalized. In response, opponents cited the case of Kenya’s first Vice President, Jaramogi Oginga Odinga, who resigned from the position of Vice President due to being sidelined by President Jomo Kenyatta. Oginga Odinga, however, is not the only Kenyan Vice President to resign in the 11 years since Kenya’s independence. Here are the names and reasons for the resignations of two other Kenyan Vice Presidents.
1.Joseph Murumbi
Following the resignation of Jaramogi Oginga Odinga in 1966, Joseph Murumbi became Kenya’s second Vice President. Murumbi held the position of Vice President for four months, from May to August 1966. Though it has been reported that Murumbi left office due to ill health, according to Karen Rothmyer’s biography on Joseph Murumbi titled A Legacy Integrity, Joseph Murumbi resigned from office accusing the government of having taken a wrong turn in serving the country. Joseph Murumbi felt he no longer deserved to serve a government that had strayed from its core values and had become a hotbed of injustice.
2.Josephat Karanja
Apart from Jaramogi, who resigned after Joseph Murumbi, Josephat Karanja is the second Vice President. Mr. Karanja, a diplomat who fell out of favor with President Moi almost as soon as he was appointed Vice President, resigned in 1989. Josephat Karanja held the position of Vice President for one year, from May 1988 to March 1989. According to Google Art and Culture, Karanja reigned to avoid being impeached by the parliament despite a vote of no confidence initiated by the parliament to remove him from office. Mr Karanja was accused of plotting to destabilize the Moi government with the help of foreign forces. Art and Culture (Google)
