Unlike his predecessors, Ruto takes sweet time to name cabinet
President William Ruto addressing a Kenya Kwanza elected leaders' meeting in Naivasha.
The late President Mwai Kibaki took a record three days after being sworn in on December 30, 2002 to name his first Cabinet.
His predecessor, the late Daniel Moi and the immediate former President Uhuru Kenyatta took an average two weeks after taking oath of office to unveil members of their Cabinet.
It is exactly 12 days since President William Ruto assumed office, having been sworn in on September 13 as the country’s fifth Head of State.
Speculations are already rife as the country awaits for him to name members of his Cabinet, with talks that he could unveil the team once he is back from his official inaugural trip to the US.
But Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua in a recent interview indicated that it may take two more weeks before Dr Ruto names his cabinet.
Mr Rigathi said the President plans to name his Cabinet alongside the principal secretaries.
The Public Service Commission (PSC) is currently receiving applications from individuals seeking to take up the PS positions.
PSC has since extended the deadline to September 27. The commission is mandated to recommend to the President persons for nomination and appointment as principal secretaries. The commission is required to invite applications, conduct interviews before submitting names to the President for consideration.
"I don't think the President wants to appoint the Cabinet secretaries without the principal secretaries. I'm not sure of the time but I would say like two weeks. In any case there is no vacuum. The President and his Deputy are working,” said Mr Rigathi.
When Kibaki won the December 27, 2002 presidential election, he took the oath of office on December 30 before naming his Cabinet on January 3.
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Then newly appointed members of Cabinet took oath of office on January 7.
In his 2007 controversial re-election, Mr Kibaki named a 17-member Cabinet at the height of the post-election violence.
The partial team included Kalonzo Musyoka as vice-president, Yussuf Haji as Defence Minister, Moses Wetang’ula as Foreign Affairs and Prof George Saitoti as in charge of Internal Security.
More members to the Cabinet were named after the peace accord that created the grand coalition government of President Kibaki and then Prime Minister Raila Odinga.
In the 2013 succession, President Kenyatta named his Cabinet on April 24, about two weeks after he was sworn in.
