Eleven sacked Cabinet Secretaries appear to be the major political casualties.
Eleven sacked Cabinet Secretaries appear to be the major political casualties in President William Ruto’s Cabinet shake-up triggered by youth-led protests after he failed to nominate them back in the second batch announced Wednesday.
With 21 Cabinet slots filled now – pending approval by Parliament – President Ruto has only one CS and Attorney General position to fill as per the constitution that provides for “not fewer than 14 and not more than 22 Cabinet Secretaries.
Former CSs whose fate appears sealed include Njuguna Ndung’u (National Treasury and Planning), Ezekiel Machogu (Education), Aisha Jumwa (Gender, Culture, the Arts & Heritage), Moses Kuria (Public Service, Performance & Delivery Management), Zachariah Mwangi Njeru (Water, Sanitation & Irrigation) and Mithika Linturi (Agriculture and Livestock Development).
Others are Ababu Namwamba (Youth Affairs and Sports), Simon Chelugui
(Co-operatives and Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSME) Development), Florence Bore (Labour and Social Protection), Eliud Owalo (Information, Communications and the Digital Economy) and Susan Nakhumicha Wafula (Health).
Ms Peninah Malonza (East African Community, The ASALs & Regional Development) is also still in the cold, but her docket is the only one yet to be filled.
The fall of Mr Owalo, Mr Namwamba and Ms Aisha is linked to President Ruto’s deal with opposition leader Raila Odinga, which saw close allies join the Cabinet.
“…I undertook to consult a broad spectrum of stakeholders from all sectors, levels and regions in order to constitute a broad-based government.
Our collective ambition is to turbocharge the performance of our economy to achieve our universal health coverage, which ensures that no one is left behind or impoverished on account of healthcare costs, offers an equitably funded education system which looks out for learners from vulnerable backgrounds and ensures that Kenyans from all walks of life live in safe and dignified housing, through our affordable housing programme,” said the President.
In Luo Nyanza, where Mr Owalo was the only CS, ODM Chairman John Mbadi (National Treasury) and National Assembly Minority Leader Opiyo Wandayi (Energy and Petroleum) have been nominated to the Cabinet as a result of a political pact between Dr Ruto and Mr Odinga.
Mr Mbadi will take over the portfolio previously held by Prof Njuguna. Mr Owalo's ICT portfolio has since been taken over by Dr Margaret Nyambura Ndung'u, who was nominated by the President in the first batch.
In Coast, Mr Hassan Joho has been nominated to take over the Mining, Blue Economy and Maritime portfolio previously held by Mr Salim Mvurya. Mr Mvurya has been moved to Investment, Trade and Industry. Ms Aisha's former portfolio of Gender, Culture, Arts and Heritage has been taken over by Ms Stella Soi Lang'at.
In Western, former Kakamega Governor Wycliffe Oparanya has been nominated to take over the Co-operatives and Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs) Development portfolio previously held by Mr Chelugui.
Mr Oparanya's nomination appears to have sealed Mr Namwamba's fate in the delicate regional balance. His former portfolio of Youth, Creative Economy and Sports has since been taken over by Kipchumba Murkomen, who was sacked from the plum portfolio of Roads and Transport.
Read: Raila Odinga: Man of coalitions does it again with President William Ruto
In Mt Kenya, former Attorney General Justin Muturi was nominated to take over Public Service and Human Capital, previously under Mr Kuria. Mr Kuria's chances were first dented when the President nominated Dr Andrew Karanja to take charge of Agriculture and Livestock Development. Both Dr Karanja and Mr Kuria hail from Kiambu County.
In Kisii, Mr Julius Ogamba, who was Mr Ezekiel Machogu's running mate in their unsuccessful 2022 Kisii governorship race, was the first to be nominated for Education. Mr Ogamba's nomination sealed Mr Machogu's chances of a cabinet comeback.
In Meru County, President Ruto nominated 32-year-old Eric Muuga in the first batch for Water, Sanitation and Irrigation. His nomination sealed the fate of Mr Linturi, whose portfolio has since been taken over by Dr Karanja. Mr Linturi was among the former ministers singled out by the public for alleged corruption in their ministries. He survived impeachment by the National Assembly over a fake fertiliser corruption scandal.
In Nakuru, Mr Njeru also appears to have fallen victim to the delicate regional balancing act following the appointment of Dr Ndung'u (ICT). Both are from Nakuru. Mr Njeru's water, sanitation and irrigation portfolio has since been taken over by Mr Muuga.
The nomination of Dr Debra Mulonga Barasa to the Ministry of Health also appears to have sealed the fate of former CS Susan Nakumincha, who was previously in charge of the docket. The two hail from Bungoma and Trans Nzoia counties respectively. They are all linked to the political wing of National Assembly Speaker Moses Wetang'ula in Kenya Kwanza.
Similarly, the appointment of former Tourism CS Dr Alfred Mutua to the Labour and Social Protection portfolio appears to have sealed the fate of Florence Bore, who was in charge of the docket. Ms Malonza is still out in the cold. Dr Mutua and Ms Malonzo hail from the Ukambani region, which is largely an opposition bastion under Wiper leader Kalonzo Musyoka.
Read: Last minute intrigues in President Ruto, Raila Odinga Cabinet deal
Mr Musyoka has publicly rejected any deal with President Ruto's Kenya Kwanza administration.
"We will not participate in or support the proposed Kenya Kwanza-led broad-based government of national unity. This is a betrayal of the Kenyan people, especially Gen Z and Millennials who have paid the ultimate price to rid this country of the disastrous Kenya Kwanza regime, its harsh taxes (Finance Bill 2023/2024), corruption, tribalism, unemployment and the persistently high cost of living," Mr Musyoka said last Friday.
