President William Ruto has addressed questions regarding the formation of his broad-based government, which includes members of the former cabinet and the Orange Democratic Movement (ODM).
Responding to a journalist’s query on Sunday, July 28, 2024, President Ruto explained his rationale for forming an inclusive government amidst recent challenges.
Ruto’s commitment
“Because of the challenges that came up in the last few weeks, I committed to forming a broad-based government. There has been a perception that this government is made up of William Ruto’s buddies. I have seen people ask why I dismissed and then rehired some members.
“Let me clarify: even those I have given another opportunity to serve in government need to understand that we may have been friends, but the terms are different now.” Ruto stated.
The president insisted on the importance of unity and collaboration in governance. He also mentioned that he picked members from other parties since a number of issues in their manifestos were similar.
“I wanted other people to join the government because, for a long time, we have been divided. You see some coming from different formations, and I said I would talk to those who are willing to talk to me. There are those who were not willing, and that is fine; it’s a democracy.
“We agreed on the agenda, and the conversation went like this: the housing program and UHC (Universal Health Coverage) were in both manifestos. So, we decided to work on what we agreed on,” he added.
President Ruto retained six of his initial 22 cabinet secretaries and introduced five new nominees for consideration and approval by the National Assembly.
The returning nominees include Kithure Kindiki (Interior and National Administration), Aden Duale (Environment, Climate Change, and Forest), Alice Wahome (Lands, Public Works, Urban Development, and Housing), Soipan Tuya (Defence), Davis Chirchir (Roads and Transport), Kipchumba Murkomen (Youth Affairs, Creative Economy, and Sports), and Rebecca Miano (nominated for Attorney-General, previously Investment, Trade, and Industrialization CS).
Ruto’s nominees
The new nominees for the cabinet are Debra Mulongo Barasa (Health), Julius Migosi Ogamba (Education), Andrew Mwihia Karanja (Agriculture and Livestock Development), Eric Muriithi Muuga (Water, Sanitation, and Irrigation), and Margaret Nyambura Ndung’u (Information, Communication, and Digital Economy).
Further nominations include John Mbadi (National Treasury), Wycliffe Oparanya (Cooperatives and MSME Development), Stella Soi Langat (Gender, Culture, Arts, and Heritage), Rebecca Miano (Tourism and Wildlife), Opiyo Wandayi (Energy and Petroleum), Justin Muturi (Public Service), Salim Mvurya (Investments, Trade, and Industry), Alfred Mutua (Labour and Social Protection), and Hassan Joho (Mining and Blue Economy).
