Alai hits back at Moses Kuria over ex-CS’s comment on transformational change
By Paulette Mboga, September 2, 2025Kileleshwa Member of County Assembly (MCA) Robert Alai has taken a sarcastic swipe at former Trade Cabinet Secretary Moses Kuria, questioning his relevance after being left out of President William Ruto’s cabinet.
In a post on X on Tuesday, September 2, 2025, Alai wrote, “Unless Moses Kuria is in the cabinet, the change by H. E. @WilliamsRuto isn’t transformational enough.” His statement, widely read as biting political sarcasm, suggested that Kuria’s absence from the cabinet is hardly the measure of whether reforms will succeed or fail.
Alai was reacting to Kuria’s own post, in which the former Cabinet Secretary gave a lecture-style warning about the dangers of poor change management, especially in the country.
Kuria speaks, Alai responds
Kuria had posted on X, writing, “Manage change, or change will manage you. That is an old principle in change management. Kenya is facing a huge problem, not one of change and transformation but that of change management. Even the best and well-intentioned transformative ideas can lead to anarchy and conflagration if change is not well managed. We still have time, but it is dangerously running out.”
However, Alai’s reaction highlighted how Kuria’s words were being received in some quarters—with derision rather than seriousness. By framing Kuria’s presence in the cabinet as the supposed benchmark of “transformation”, Alai implied that the former CS had inflated his importance and that his commentary carried less weight after his exit from government.
Politics beyond the Cabinet
The exchange between the two leaders underscores how political debates continue even outside formal positions of power. While Kuria has attempted to maintain his relevance through social media, his critics, like Alai, see his interventions as little more than noise.
For President Ruto’s administration, the debate comes against the backdrop of ongoing scrutiny over its reform agenda. Supporters argue that recent shifts in leadership have strengthened government operations, while sceptics maintain that cosmetic changes do not address deeper governance issues.
Alai’s sarcastic swipe captured that scepticism in sharp fashion, reinforcing the idea that Moses Kuria may still generate headlines, but his political clout is increasingly open to question.