Uhuru, Ruto fail to name remaining Cabinet Secretaries after disagreement

janet ndila

January 13, 2018 6:55 AM

Naming of Cabinet postponed after Uhuru, Ruto disagreement

A major fallout forced President Uhuru Kenyatta to cancel the naming of the remaining Cabinet Secretaries on Wednesday evening.

According to The Star, the president was joined at State House by his deputy William Ruto with Kenya Broadcasting Corporation already on standby to televise the live event in which it is understood that the remaining Cabinet Secretary nominees were to be named.

However, the Deputy President (DP) read malice in the list of nominees after some of his key allies were excluded from the list.

Sources revealed to the newspaper that Ruto’s team also differed with the president for single handedly sourcing for nominees from other regions of the country in what the DP’s team suspected could harm his 2022 candidature.

The team also strongly objected the inclusion of Kiprono Kittony who is a key ally of Baringo senator Gideon Moi.

A standoff ensued after Uhuru declined names proposed by DP Ruto’s camp, with the president reportedly shooting down “Chirchir, Namwamba and others proposed by Ruto on grounds of integrity, experience, regional balance and qualification.”

A high ranking source from the DP’s office divulged that “there’s a stalemate. We are waiting to see how it goes after the President promised to name the remaining Cabinet in two weeks. Seven days have gone by”.

The impasse saw the DP leave for his Karen home at around 7PM with no announcement made. The next morning, the president flew to South Africa, leaving behind an anxious nation.

The selection of CSs is proving to be a tough call for the fragile Jubilee party with earlier media reports indicating that a fallout was imminent. However, this was dismissed as rumors.

janet ndila