After the unexpected purge of his Cabinet, President William Ruto finds himself in a precarious position as he prepares to appoint new ministry heads.
The law requires the President to forward the names of nominated Cabinet Secretaries to the National Assembly for vetting to assess their suitability for the roles.
Article 159 of the Constitution states, “The President shall nominate and, with the approval of the National Assembly, appoint Cabinet Secretaries. A Cabinet Secretary shall not be a Member of Parliament.
The President may re-assign a Cabinet Secretary or may dismiss a Cabinet Secretary.”
On Thursday, Ruto sent home his entire cabinet and announced that the affairs of the Ministries will be coordinated by principal secretaries until a new cabinet is appointed.
This unprecedented move has created a challenging environment for the President, both in Parliament and with the general public.
In the National Assembly, the Appointments Committee chaired by the Speaker will vet the nominated individuals, considering their academic credentials, professional training, experience, and personal integrity against the roles of the ministry they have been appointed for.
After the vetting process, the committee will table the report on the floor of the house for MPs to debate before the names are forwarded back to the President for the appointees to be sworn in.
However, these are not ordinary times for President Ruto.
There are speculations about the possibility of a government of national unity, which could see MPs allied to the Azimio coalition cross the floor.
If Ruto succeeds in this move, he may seek to appoint Raila Odinga’s Azimio la Umoja One Kenya alliance MPs to powerful committees to aid in the transaction of government business in the National Assembly.
Ruto’s challenges extend beyond the National Assembly.
The MPs, in their efforts to redeem themselves in the eyes of the voters, may indirectly sabotage all government business in Parliament, including dismissing the list of nominees for the cabinet.
This could include skipping committees where matters with weighty public interests are debated to avoid further vilification leading up to the 2027 general elections.
Key figures who have steered Ruto’s agenda, such as National Assembly Majority Leader Kimani Ichung’wah, Finance and National Planning Committee chairman Kuria Kimani, and Budget and Appropriations Committee counterpart Ndindi Nyoro, may face an uphill task to convince the Kenya Kwanza MPs, who are now fighting for their political survival, to support them.
Ruto, as the Party leader of the ruling coalition, could now be plotting to dismantle the embattled House leadership in a similar manner as the cabinet and push to have new faces into those offices.
In a recent church service in Nyandarua, Ruto maintained that he is in full control of the government, adding that the challenges he has faced in the recent weeks have made him a better leader.
He told Kenyans to pray for him as he embarks on appointing new cabinet secretaries to serve them.
On September 17, 2023, Prime Cabinet Secretary and Foreign and Diaspora CS Musalia Mudavadi hinted that a Cabinet reshuffle was looming.
Mudavadi, who was the only Cabinet member who survived the purge on Thursday, said it was within the President’s right to make changes in government whenever he deemed it long overdue and wise.
“The President is clear about one thing, this administration is about efficiency and effectiveness in service delivery to the people,” Mudavadi said.
“The moment any appointee steps out of line or acts in a manner that is inconsistent with this mantra, it is not beyond the President to make changes in senior ranks of the Executive. At an appropriate time and in his wisdom, the President could make such changes,” he added.
Author: Mujuni Henry
JUNIITV
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