Human Rights Group Slams President Ruto Over Latest Cabinet Reshuffle
The Kenya Human Rights Commission (KHRC) has expressed strong criticism towards President William Ruto’s recent cabinet reshuffle, accusing him of promoting ethnic exclusivity and gender disparity.
In a press statement released on Saturday, the KHRC highlighted concerns over the disproportionate number of cabinet appointments from a single region, which they claim undermines national inclusivity.
“With the new CS nominations, the Mt Kenya region is poised to dominate the cabinet. If the National Assembly approves Kabogo, Kinyanjui, and Kagwe, they will join Justin Muturi, Rebecca Miano, Alice Wahome, and Eric Muriithi in the cabinet,” KHRC stated.
“When the president, deputy president, and attorney-general are included, eight cabinet members will be from the Mt Kenya region, constituting 34.7 per cent of the cabinet,” the statement added.
The KHRC pointed to the nominations of William Kabogo, Lee Kinyanjui, and Ndiritu Muriithi, all from the Mt Kenya region, as evidence of this ethnic bias.
If these nominations are approved by the National Assembly, they would join Justin Muturi, Rebecca Miano, Alice Wahome, and Eric Muriithi, bringing the total number of cabinet members from the Mt Kenya region to eight.
“Such actions contravene the public’s trust and the obligation to exercise power in their interest. Article 10 of the Constitution identifies the key national values and principles of governance, including patriotism and national unity,” the commission stated.
This would mean that 34.7 percent of the cabinet is from one region, which the KHRC argues contravenes the principles of ethnic inclusivity.
In addition to the ethnic concerns, the KHRC also criticized the gender composition of the cabinet. Out of the 20 cabinet secretaries nominated, only five are women, representing a mere 25 percent.
Including other positions, the entire cabinet has only six women out of 23 members, which the KHRC believes is indicative of gender discrimination.
The commission further accused President Ruto of undermining the principles of democracy and the people’s sovereignty by not adhering to the constitutional mandates of diversity, equity, and inclusivity.
They emphasized that Article 10 of the Constitution outlines key national values and principles of governance, such as patriotism and national unity, which they argue are being neglected.
The statement from the KHRC came just days after President Ruto announced his latest cabinet nominations. On Thursday, December 19, he nominated Kabogo, Kinyanjui, and Mutahi Kagwe to the positions of Cabinet Secretaries for Information Communication and Technology, Trade, and Agriculture, respectively.
Additionally, former Sports CS Kipchumba Murkomen was nominated to the Interior and Coordination position.
Other notable appointments included Ndiritu Muriithi as the Kenya Revenue Authority (KRA) chairperson and Ababu Namwamba as the Permanent Representative of Kenya to the United Nations Environment Programme.
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Human Rights Group Slams President Ruto Over Latest Cabinet Reshuffle
