President Uhuru Kenyatta’s cabinet line-up is inclusive and has members with proven track records, a politician has said.
Meshack Kimutai, who lost his Emgwen MP post in the August 8, 2017 election, decribed the ministers as top performers.
“The president was right to appoint them,” he said in a phone interview with The Star on Monday, adding they will continue to uphold their constitutional mandates.
“Without a doubt, they will continue to represent national interests.”
Uhuru named his full Cabinet on Friday, 85 days after he sworn-in for his second term. He retained Henry Rotich (Treasury), Charles Keter (Energy), Joe Mucheru (ICT), Najib Balala (Tourism), James Macharia (Transport) and Fred Matiang’i (Interior).
The officials will be sworn-in once Parliament approves.
Kimutai noted these ministers have been in the forefront of the push for reforms in their respective ministries.
“We expect them to continue performing,” he said, further noting the Treasury docket facest the biggest challenges as the budget keeps growing and because of political challenges.
“However, banking on taxation and austerity measures, he (Rotich) will manage to spearhead solutions to Kenya’s financial challenges.”
The politician cum businessman said new cabinet secretaries face the challenge of ensuring they outdo their predecessors.
“Kenyans are looking up to them. They need to serve the country wholeheartedly.”
But it has been said that Uhuru and deputy president William Ruto rewarded loyalists to the extent of creating the chief administrative secretary post in all the ministries.
Activist Okiya Omtatah earlier went to court to challenge the new office, saying the public was not consulted.
Meanwhile, members of the Kuria community have praised the president for Nelson Marwa’s appointment as devolution principal secretary.
Leaders and residents said on Sunday that the former Coast regional coordinator had been promoted.
Celebrations took place at Ntimaru town in Kuria East sub-county, which is Marwa’s rural home.
Samson Nyange, who is Kuria East constituency development fund manager, termed the appointment a blessing to a community which he said has been marginalised.
Ntimaru East MCA Augustine Mwera and his Ntimaru West counterpart Francis Boke said Marwa’s appointment to the “powerful and crucial docket is a clear testimony” of rewards for backing Jubilee Party in the last general election.
“This nomination is the clear fulfillment of election pledges,” said Mwera.
Wilfred Mwikwabe, a businessman in Kuria East, said the move will see the community support the Jubilee government more.
Jubilee Party’s Kuria East chairman Nelson Babere said: “Marwa stance on security and peace in the country resulted in this good-faith appointment.”
But many are of the opinion that Kenya should find a way out of tribalism as this affects development and the election of qualified leaders.
Uhuru has also been criticised for rewarding losers. He demoted seven Cabinet Secretaries in a radical purge and deployed them to head a number of Kenyan embassies.
The president lived up to the promise he made on January 5 that he would “populate the government” with those charged with the responsibility of executing his agenda for the next five years.
