Cleophas Malala bid to join Cabinet ‘unlikely’

United Democratic Alliance (UDA) Secretary-General Cleophas Malala’s quest to sit in the Cabinet has been rejected by President William Ruto’s key allies.

Some UDA members of Parliament told the Sunday Nation that it would be a breach of the constitution to have Mr Malala in the Cabinet that already has the constitutionally accepted 22 members.

Some officials within the ruling party disclosed that Dr Ruto was not keen on co-opting Mr Malala in the Cabinet. President Ruto is said to be keen on having party affairs separated from the running of the executive.

Immediately after he was appointed as the SG of the ruling party, the former Kakamega senator said he would be sitting in the Cabinet to monitor implementation of Kenya Kwanza Alliance’s pre-election pledges.

In the last administration, retired President Uhuru Kenyatta appointed then Jubilee Secretary-General Raphael Tuju as a Cabinet secretary without portfolio. Mr Tuju sat in the Cabinet as the link between the party and the executive.

But some of the UDA MPs said that it would be a waste of taxpayers’ money for Mr Malala to attend Cabinet meetings when UDA’s manifesto was documented in charters that Dr Ruto signed with various interest groups.

“The President is not keen on that issue. He wants party affairs to be separate from the government. It is the Parliamentary Group (PG) that the SG attends to discuss party matters,” said the source.

National Assembly Deputy Majority Leader Owen Baya said it was near impossible to have Mr Malala in the Cabinet.

“The Cabinet has a definite number and that number has already been attained. I don’t see any possibility of our SG being co-opted,” said the Kilifi North MP.

Mr Malala told the Sunday Nation that President Ruto will have the final say over the matter.

“The matter is something that is still under consideration. We are looking at the legal provision so that when it is done, it is within the confines of the law,” said Mr Malala.

UDA’s National Organising Secretary Vincent Musau confirmed that the matter has not been a subject of discussion.

Kimilili MP Didmas Barasa said the matter has not been discussed by the party since it is not a priority at the moment.

Mr Barasa said that – unlike Jubilee Party – UDA does not need its SG to sit in the Cabinet for its manifesto to be implemented.

He said most of what UDA promised during the campaigns are contained in chatters that Dr Ruto signed with various groups.

“I am not aware of any plans to have the SG sit in the Cabinet. I don’t think it is a priority for us. Kenya Kwanza does not need SG to sit in the Cabinet because we have documents that came from the economic chatters we held with different groups,” said Mr Barasa.

He added, “If some members are not for the idea, it is a good thing because we are a democratic party. The decision for me to sit in the Cabinet remains a prerogative of the President. He will definitely give direction. Members also have a right to give their views. If they tell me to work from Kakamega, I will do that and if they ask me to sit in the Cabinet, I will also be okay with it.”

UDA's National Organising Secretary Vincent Musau also confirmed that the matter has not been a subject of discussion within the ruling party.

Mr Musau, however, observed that it would be a good thing to have such a provision for purposes of harmonization between the executive and the party.

“Maybe in future, parties should consider it when forming a government. It would be a good idea to have a strong representative of the party to sit in the Cabinet to ensure harmonization and offer reminders on pre-election pledges,” said Mr Musau.

East African Legislative assembly (EALA) MP David Ole Sankok said co-opting Mr Malala in the Cabinet would be a breach of the constitution.

“Until there is such a provision to allow the SG of a ruling party to sit in the Cabinet, we cannot be the ones contradicting the constitution,” said Mr Sankok.

He added, “There is no advisory from the Public Service Commission (PSC) that the SG can sit in the Cabinet. We cannot break the law to have him in the Cabinet.”

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