Kinoti, Mutyambai resignations were expected

By: Joseph Mutua Ndonga

Worth Noting:

• For Dr Ruto, he had made a raft of lofty promises. Kenyans are waiting to see him walking the talk. However, if you listen to most of them he has started on a positive footing. He has already reduced the prices of fertilizers and he is working very hard to address the problem of hunger and insecurity.
• In eve of unveiling of his cabinet, he flagged off Lorries ferrying relief food to regions hit hard by drought. He also deployed a high powered team of security personnel to the troubled region of Turkana County. This followed a deadly attack by bandits that left 11 people including GSU officers’ dead.

President William Ruto lived up to his word by keeping the timelines set out in the constitution when he unveiled his cabinet.  Those nominated will be vetted by parliament and, if approved, the President will formally appoint them.

Of those who served in the previous administration of former President Uhuru Kenyatta, only two ministers were retained. One of them is, however, poised to serve as a top adviser on matters of national security, a position placed in the same level as that of a cabinet minister.

As an observer, allow me say this. The President considered a number of factors and the main ones were; Loyalty, ethnic and regional considerations, meritocracy and experience. Besides, he took the narrative of ‘Hustler Nation’ a notch higher by nominating those who hailed from poor background and whose their fathers were not known.

To me, it would not come as a surprise to see the issue of loyalty being given priority. For those who have read our history, he followed the footsteps of the successive government of independent Kenya.

The President, who is worth salt, must strive to fulfill the promises he made to the citizens. Therefore, he knows this is only possible if he works with a team that supports his agenda and vision.

For Dr Ruto, he had made a raft of lofty promises. Kenyans are waiting to see him walking the talk. However, if you listen to most of them he has started on a positive footing. He has already reduced the prices of fertilizers and he is working very hard to address the problem of hunger and insecurity.

In eve of unveiling of his cabinet, he flagged off Lorries ferrying relief food to regions hit hard by drought. He also deployed a high powered team of security personnel to the troubled region of Turkana County. This followed a deadly attack by bandits that left 11 people including GSU officers’ dead.

I’m happy to note this. At the back of his mind, President Ruto knows that absolute power is bad. This explains why he has been rooting for a strong and vibrant opposition.

To succeed in this, we must move away from the ‘handshake deals’ and entertaining the idea of sharing the bread.

If you are in government, you know your work. If you are in opposition, you know your role. That is how we can build a strong nation that is anchored on tenets of democracy, constitutionalism and rule of law.

President Ruto kept his word. If you at his new-look cabinet, he never appointed anyone from the opposition side.

He however seemed to have deviated from script of 2013 when they formed the first cabinet with then president Uhuru Kenyatta. At the time, Dr Ruto, who was the Deputy President, stated. We are not going to appoint any politician to the cabinet. This however did come to pass as some politicians would end up being appointed.

Being pragmatic is a quality of good leader. So, Dr Ruto’s change of mind is well understood. Apart from being learned, some of these politicians have a wealth of experiences in terms of articulating the issues of ordinary Kenyans and overseeing the implementation of the projects rolled out by national government.

Before the promulgation of the 2010 constitution, cabinet ministers were appointed from among the sitting members of parliament. Today, things have changed. If you are elected and happen to be nominated to serve in the cabinet, you are required to resign from your elective position.

As he unveiled his cabinet, President Ruto disclosed that he had received a resignation letter from the Director of Criminal Investigations [DCI] George Kinoti and another letter from Inspector General of the Police Hilary Mutyambai asking him to allow him proceed on a terminal leave.

Many believed they did not do this because they wanted to quit. It was simply because they knew the new government had no time for them and it was only a matter before they were shown the door.

During the campaign, one thing was clear. The two would not see eye-to-eye with Dr Ruto and his running mate Rigathi Gachagua.  Warning shots they would go home started to be fired soon after Dr William Ruto was sworn in. 

Joseph Mutua Ndonga is a Writer and Political Analyst based in Nairobi