Ruto Rules Out Mt Kenya Leader as Potential Kindiki Replacement
President William Ruto is preparing for a Cabinet reshuffle, but he has ruled out picking an elected leader from Mt Kenya to fill the vacant Interior CS position.
Reports from Taifa Leo reveal that the president is planning to split some ministries while merging others in the upcoming changes. Insiders at State House Nairobi disclosed that the Ministry of Roads and Transport, currently headed by Davis Chirchir, is one of the dockets being considered for division.
To comply with the constitutional requirement that ministries range between 14 and 22, President Ruto is reportedly contemplating abolishing the Ministry of Gender and Culture. The Gender docket might be merged with the Ministry of Public Service, while the Culture department could shift to the Ministry of Tourism.
“We expected the changes to take place early last week. It is likely that the announcement will be made anytime from now,” Taifa Leo quoted sources close to the president.
The Ministries of Interior and Gender have remained unfilled for months. The Gender docket has been vacant since Stella Soi, Ruto’s nominee, was rejected by the National Assembly’s Committee on Appointments. The Interior docket opened up after Kithure Kindiki was promoted to the Deputy President’s Office. For now, Prime CS Musalia Mudavadi, who doubles as the Foreign Affairs CS, is acting as the Interior CS.
Davis Chirchir is among the top contenders to replace Kindiki. Belgut MP Nelson Koech, chairman of the National Assembly’s Defence, Intelligence, and Foreign Relations Committee, is also considered a frontrunner. Other potential nominees include National Assembly Majority Leader Kimani Ichung’wah, Environment CS Aden Duale, former ICT CS Eliud Owalo, and ex-Health CS Mutahi Kagwe, a close ally of former President Uhuru Kenyatta.
President Ruto, however, is avoiding selecting anyone from Mt Kenya, as it would necessitate a by-election in the region.
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Ruto Rules Out Mt Kenya Leader as Potential Kindiki Replacement
