President William Ruto has nominated the first batch of his new Cabinet Secretaries. He proposed 11 names to be approved by the Nationa Assembly to sit in the National Executive.....CLICK HERE TO READ THE FULL ARTICLE>>>
Five officials from the demised Cabinet were brought back to the corridors of power. Kithure Kindiki was brought back to the Interior Ministry, the same as Aden Duale in the Defence docket.
Roseline Tuya retained the Environment docket, Alice Wahome back to Public Works, and Davis Chirchir moved to the Roads and Transport docket.
Former Trade and Industry CS Rebecca Miano came back as the proposed new Attorney General. The new names are Debra Mulongo Barasa, who was nominated into the Health docket, Julius Ogamba (Education), Andrew Karanja (Agriculture and Livestock Development), Eric Muriithi (Water) and Margaret Ndungu (ICT).
Ruto said the remaining members of the Cabinet would be unveiled upon the completion of the bipartisan talks, which he suggested involved players across the political divide.
The president dismissed his Cabinet on July 11 and attributed the move to the evaluation by the Kenyan public, which was unimpressed by the CSs’ below-par performance. He then gazetted the dismissal a week later, appointing Mudavadi to act as the Cabinet secretary in all ministries.
This came after weeks of a revolt engineered by the local youth who swore not to tire in pursuit of governance change. Ruto, after sending all his CSs home, became loud about his new resolve to put together a competent team that would help him deliver his agenda.
He hinted at having a broad-based executive that will have the face of Kenyan unity, all indications pointing to the incorporation of the opposition into the government. His deputy counselled him to check the personal attributions of his nominees to avoid having onboard incompetent but arrogant bureaucrats.
It emerged that the opposition under Raila Odinga was set to join the government in the oncoming changes. Azimio was offered seven slots, four of which ODM is scrambling for.
ODM’s grip on the four slots has disarrayed the opposition, with the other member parties holding onto their stances of not engaging the government and seeming to chart their own courses without Raila.
A state house insider revealed that Prime Cabinet Secretary Musalia Mudavadi, who was spared in the purge, was given two slots.
Mudavadi was therefore torn between three options for the two posts: his confidante and former ANC secretary general Simon Gikuru, who currently works at State House Nairobi, Vihiga businessman Alex Kidake, who is Mudavadi’s political adversary but an ally of Ruto, and Adagala, a politician from Vihiga.
The source also revealed there being the likelihood of the return of Duale and Mithika Linturi, who, before the Cabinet dismissal, served in the Defence and Agriculture dockets, respectively.
The remaining slots will be shared amongst the president and his deputy, Rigathi Gachagua. Focus would be on Gachagua’s backyard and their reaction after Ruto fully nominates his team, considering the pronouncements by some of the deputy president’s allies who have vowed not to accept anything less than eight Cabinet slots for Mt Kenya natives.
Meanwhile, Raila will remain fixated on his bid for the African Union Commission (AUC) chairmanship…CONTINUE READING>>
