Tough task ahead as Cabinet starts work

President Uhuru Kenyatta (centre) with the new Cabinet Secretaries after their swearing-in at State House, Nairobi Wednesday. With 36 days already gone, the appointees will be under pressure to fulfil the 100-day promises that Jubilee leaders made during the campaigns. PHOTO/STEPHENE MUDIARI

What you need to know:

  • The Budget, implementation of the Jubilee manifesto and ensuring the achievement of Vision 2030 are also likely to feature.
  • The structure adopted Wednesday reduced the previous 44 ministries to 18.
  • The proposed civil service structure will be implemented and tried for five years. It is also meant to absorb different commissions into parent ministries.
  • Only 15 of the 16 Cabinet Secretaries so far named were sworn in. The nominee for Foreign Affairs, Mrs Amina Mohammed, had travelled out of the country to hand over her previous office at the UN.

The 15 Cabinet secretaries sworn in Wednesday are Thursday morning expected to attend their first meeting.

Top on the agenda is likely to be a briefing on the new structures in their dockets. The President and his deputy might also take the opportunity to lay down performance expectations for each.

The Budget, implementation of the Jubilee manifesto and ensuring the achievement of Vision 2030 are also likely to feature.

Presiding over the swearing-in at State House, Nairobi, Wednesday, Mr Kenyatta told the appointees to hit the ground running.

Only a day after their appointments were upheld by Parliament, the President told the secretaries: “We must perform. Kenyans want a positive transformation in their social and economic lives.

“You should be transparent and impartial in dispensing your duties and management of the national resources... It’s time to deliver on their expectations.”

The appointees were driven to their offices straight from State House and were briefed on pending business by their respective permanent secretaries.

Sources said Mr Kenyatta speeded up the swearing-in to ensure that the Cabinet Secretaries have more time to implement some of the 100-day promises he made during the campaigns.

“Mr Kenyatta’s government has already lost 36 days and thus the reason why he moved to have the secretaries sworn in with immediate effect,” said a source.

Two dockets still have no secretaries and these are expected to be named Thursday.

The structure adopted Wednesday reduced the previous 44 ministries to 18.

The transition committee, which formulated principles that created the post-Kibaki administration, gave a preview of the new structure which is in line with the Constitution.

In an earlier interview, chairman of the committee Francis Kimemia said the enhanced line-up would comprise principal and senior deputy secretaries.

“We will have senior deputy secretaries, especially those who will have qualified as principal secretaries but will not have taken up those positions. They will head the departments in the specific ministries,” Mr Kimemia said.

The new structure was part of the briefings Mr Kenyatta received when he was declared President-elect. He used the bulk of the recommendations to collapse the 44 ministries into 18.

“We have worked out a framework on the briefing, especially on the ministries and government business,” Mr Kimemia who is now Secretary to the Cabinet nominee.

The proposed civil service structure will be implemented and tried for five years. It is also meant to absorb different commissions into parent ministries.

The Attorney-General’s office has been renamed to the Department of Justice. The office of the Solicitor General and Director of Public Prosecutions will fall under this office.

Agriculture, Interior, Education, Mining, National Treasury, Devolution and ICT are some of the powerful ministries that will get senior deputy secretaries to head departments.

The Ministry of Interior and Coordination of National Government will cater for security, the national intelligence service (NIS), Immigration, the Executive secretariat, intergovernmental affairs, Inspector-General of Police, legislative and public affairs; the Government spokesman and the youth.

The Agriculture ministry will take charge of 40 State functions and have control over 42 State corporations, making it the largest portfolio. It will also take charge of livestock and fisheries.

Education will have the department of Education and Science and Technology. It will also incorporate higher education.

The Health ministry will have two departments: Public health and medical services.

The National Treasury has been strengthened to ensure proper coordination between it, the Central Bank and the Kenya Revenue Authority.

Devolution and planning will take care of county governments, Vision 2030, the national bureau of statistics, risk management and the census department.

Only 15 of the 16 Cabinet Secretaries so far named were sworn in. The nominee for Foreign Affairs, Mrs Amina Mohammed, had travelled out of the country to hand over her previous office at the UN.

President Kenyatta asked the new appointees to commit to meeting the expectations of all Kenyans as well as serving them diligently.