ODM leader Raila Odinga during the burial ceremony of veteran politician Maina Wanjigi in Nyeri town on July 5, 2024.
A demand by opposition leader Raila Odinga that the government come up with an actionable plan to address the issues raised by the protesting youth and a delay in agreeing on a reported three slots are behind the absence of the team’s Cabinet nominees from the 11 named by President William Ruto on Friday.
A source in Mr Odinga’s Orange Democratic Movement (ODM) said President Ruto was to name three party picks for the top posts, making the total 14, but opted to proceed with the 11, awaiting the settling of the ODM list.
Mr Odinga, our source said, reportedly told President Ruto that he will propose names once it is clear how the government is going to resolve the issues raised by Gen Z, whose street protests led to the withdrawal of Finance Bill 2024, the dissolution of Cabinet save for Prime Cabinet Secretary Musalia Mudavadi, as well as far-reaching budget cuts in the Executive and other agencies.
Out of the three slots, ODM was to benefit from two powerful ministries and another slot that was previously occupied by a person from the Coast region, the source added.
“There is nothing to worry about. The President was ready and he had asked us for the list. But our leader called for the issues raised by the Gen Z to be addressed first,” said the source, a party official aware of the top-level discussions but unwilling to discuss them on record because of their sensitivity.
The Nation has learnt that Mr Odinga wants a clear mechanism from the government on how some of the issues raised by the young people in the anti-government protests are going to be addressed.
ODM organs — Parliamentary Group and the Central Management Committee — have endorsed the national dialogue called by President Ruto and also endorsed the formation of a “broad-based” government.
“Ruto goes, then what? Ruto may go then (Deputy President Rigathi) Gachagua takes over implementing bad policies. Ruto can also say ‘I am tired, let the military generals take over.’ Then the country begins to go through what Egypt did after Tahrir Square. ‘Ruto must go’ cannot be an end. It is at times of crisis like this that a country needs to talk. We are not doing it to save Ruto. We are doing it to save Kenya,” Mr Odinga told the ODM parliamentary group meeting on July 17, before the endorsement of the rapprochement with the President.
During the announcement of the first 11 batch of the Cabinet nominees yesterday, President Ruto said he made the decision after wide consultations.
“I have started the process of forming a new, broad-based cabinet to assist me in driving the urgently needed and irreversible transformation of our country. I hereby nominate the following first batch of 11 individuals for consideration and approval by the National Assembly for appointment as Cabinet Secretaries and Attorney General,” President Ruto said.
“Further consultations are ongoing after which I will announce more names in due course,” he added.
A faction of the Azimio la Umoja One Kenya coalition on Friday rejected the move by Mr Odinga to lead the outfit into the government.
Led by Wiper leader Kalonzo Musyoka, they said the coalition does not support the proposed broad-based government.
