From left: William Kabogo, Mutahi Kagwe and Lee Kinyanjui.
President William Ruto Thursday nominated allies of former President Uhuru Kenyatta to the Cabinet, barely 10 days after their surprise meeting in Gatundu.
President Ruto tapped Mr Mutahi Kagwe, who served in Mr Kenyatta’s Cabinet, to take charge of the Agriculture and Livestock Development docket. He also nominated former Nakuru Governor Lee Kinyanjui, another close ally of Mr Kenyatta, to the Ministry of Investment, Trade and Industry.
Former Kiambu Governor William Kabogo also landed a ministerial nomination after he was picked to serve as Information, Communication and Digital Economy Cabinet Secretary. The three nominees are expected to be vetted by the National Assembly.
The other big news in the mini-reshuffle is the re-assignment of Mr Kipchumba Murkomen, a trusted insider in Ruto’s government, to the powerful position of Interior Cabinet Secretary.
Mr Murkomen takes over the powerful role left vacant after Prof Kithure Kindiki was elevated to the role of Deputy President following the impeachment of Rigathi Gachagua in October.
Cabinet Secretary Sports and Youth Affairs nominee Onesmus Kipchumba Murkomen has been named Interior CS.
At the same time, Mr Salim Mvurya, currently the Trade Cabinet Secretary, has been moved to the Youth Affairs, Creative Economy and Sports docket to replace Mr Murkomen.
Former ministers Margaret Nyambura (ICT) and Andrew Karanja (Agriculture) became the major casualties of the changes after they were dropped from the Cabinet, having only served for about four months.
Ms Nyambura and Dr Karanja were appointed in July following the dissolution of the Cabinet after weeks of youth-led protests. Dr Ruto, in yesterday’s changes, nominated Ms Nyambura as the country’s High Commissioner to Ghana while Dr Karanja has been nominated to serve as ambassador in Brazil.
The two will be vetted by the National Assembly to determine their suitability.
The Gender docket, however, remains vacant. MPs had rejected Stella Soi, who had been nominated to the position.
Analysis of the ministerial nominations show a delicate balancing act by the President to assuage the populous Mt Kenya region that has become hostile following the impeachment of Mr Gachagua as deputy president.
ICT CS Dr Margaret Nyambura Ndung'u.
By nominating key Uhuru allies with political experience to the Cabinet, President Ruto seems to be daring his estranged deputy, Mr Gachagua, to a duel in the populous Mt Kenya region — and correcting a July reshuffle that many criticised for bringing in political greenhorns from the region.
With Mr Kenyatta now firmly in his corner, Dr Ruto hopes to use his political Cabinet to marshal the region ahead of 2027. And the nominations themselves were strategic.
Mr Kagwe hails from Mr Gachagua’s Nyeri County backyard and has served in the Cabinets of Mwai Kibaki and Mr Kenyatta. He was also previously Nyeri Senator and Mukurweini MP.
Mr Kabogo, who was allied to Dr Ruto in the 2022 General Election but seemed to have been dislodged from the centre after the polls, was a key Mr Kenyatta ally in 2013 and 2017.
He hails from Kiambu, same as Dr Karanja, who has been dropped. On his part, Mr Kinyanjui hails from what is seen as the diaspora Mt Kenya bastion of Nakuru, while Mr Kembi Gitura, who got a parastatal role as chairperson of the Kenyatta University Teaching, Referral and Research Hospital board, hails from the neighbouring Murang’a County.
For the President, the Mt Kenya matrix — and why a strongly-political Cabinet was the way to go — is in the numbers.
In the 2022 election, Dr Ruto was overwhelmingly voted by the Mountain region, and its diaspora of Nakuru and Laikipia counties, to clinch the top seat.
President William Ruto has a word with retired president Uhuru Kenyatta during the Consecration and Installation of Bishop Peter Kimani Ndung'u as the Catholic Bishop of Embu Diocese in Embu County on November 16, 2024.
Former Sports Cabinet Secretary Ababu Namwamba has been nominated to the role of Permanent Representative of Kenya to the United Nations Environment Programme/United Nations Office in Nairobi.
At the same time, Ambassador Gertrude Angote has been nominated as Kenyan High Commissioner to Zimbabwe. Amb Angote is currently serving as the Permanent Representative to the United Nations Environment Programme and has now been reasssigned to the Republic of Zimbabwe.
In the changes seen to be as a result of a meeting between Dr Ruto and his predecessor Mr Kenyatta, other allies of the former president who made it to government are former Laikipia governor Ndiritu Muriithi and former Senate Deputy Speaker Kembi Gitura.
Mr Muriithi has been appointed as the Kenya Revenue Authority Board chairperson while Mr Gitura will chair the of Kenyatta University Teaching, Referral and Research Hospital Board.
Mr Anthony Mwaura, who currently chairs the KRA board, seemed to be the biggest casualty, after he was moved from the helm of the revenue agency and to the less-influential Kenya Rural Roads Authority.
“His Excellency the President has today made nominations, re- assignments and appointments to the senior ranks of the Executive. The nominations effected are in regard to individuals to serve the Nation in its foremost policy organ — Cabinet — as well as in the Foreign Service,” an announcement by the Head of Public Service and Chief of Staff, Mr Felix Koskei said.
In naming Mr Murkomen to take charge of the Interior docket, the president has included his confidant in the National Security Council.
President William Ruto delivers the State of the Nation Address at Parliament Buildings in Nairobi on November 21, 2024.
Article 240 of the constitution establishes the National Security Council, consisting of the President, Deputy President, three Cabinet secretaries - Defence, Foreign Affairs and Internal security, as well as Attorney-General, Chief of Kenya Defence Forces, Director-General of the National Intelligence Service, and the Inspector-General of the National Police Service.
The current members of the council are President Ruto, Deputy President Kindiki, Defence CS Soipan Tuya, Prime Cabinet Secretary Musalia Mudavadi who is also in charge of Foreign and Diaspora Affairs and Attorney General Dorcas Oduor. Others are Chief of Defence Forces Charles Kahariri, NIS Director General Noordin Haji and IG Douglas Kanja.
The inclusion of Mr Kenyatta’s allies follows a script President Ruto used in July when he named influential allies of ODM chief Raila Odinga to Cabinet.
Some of those high profile ODM leaders named in the broad-based cabinet, and who subsequently relinquished their party positions, are Hassan Joho (Mining), Wycliffe Oparanya (Cooperatives), John Mbadi (National Treasury), Opiyo Wandayi (Energy) and Beatrice Askul (East African Community).
