President William Ruto and ODM leader Raila Odinga in Uganda in February 2024.
President William Ruto is said to be planning a cabinet shake-up that will affect at least two Cabinet secretaries.
The targeted dockets, according to reliable sources close to the presidency, are those perceived to be falling short of expectations in public service delivery.
The changes are also intended to enable President Ruto to accommodate more allies of opposition leader Raila Odinga.
This even as Dr Ruto’s ruling United Democratic Alliance (UDA) and Mr Odinga’s Orange Democratic Movement (ODM) prepare to sign a political pact, which sources say could happen as soon as this Friday.
The Ministry of Health has suffered bouts of negative publicity owing to the dysfunctional Social Health Insurance Fund (SHIF) that has left patients stranded as private hospitals turned them away.
The general perception is that the transition from NHIF to the Social Health Authority (SHA) has failed due to lack of strong leadership, as per the sources who requested anonymity to freely discuss confidential State information.
The former Health CS, Susan Nakhumicha, was dropped after the June 2024 popular revolt by Gen Zs.
In Kenya Kwanza’s pre-election pact, there are ministries or quotas reserved for Ford Kenya, led by National Assembly Speaker Moses Wetang'ula, and the ANC, led by Cabinet Secretary Musalia Mudavadi. ANC is currently in the process of dissolution for its members to join the President's UDA party.
The reshuffle is expected to hand ODM leader Raila Odinga at least two more CS slots in addition to the five he already has.
As many as 40 per cent of the current Principal Secretary officeholders could be shown the door to pave the way for new ones under the new pact between Dr Ruto and Mr Odinga.
Loyalty, performance, and the desire to create a new alliance for 2027 re-election are said to be at the heart of the planned reshuffle. President Ruto has openly indicated his desire to have Mr Odinga on his side for his 2027 re-election bid, a scenario that could influence those to be appointed to serve as PSs.
In the planned reshuffle, Dr Ruto is not only seeking to take care of new partners from ODM but also to ensure that those who remained after former Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua’s ouster are loyal to him.
The sources indicate that the political pact between President Ruto’s United Democratic Alliance (UDA) and Mr Odinga’s Orange Democratic Movement (ODM) could be unveiled at the end of this week.
The political shift has caused anxiety in the Cabinet, as only Raila-allied ministers are said to enjoy some form of security of tenure as they can only be sacked with Mr Odinga's consent.
UDA’s National Steering Committee, a top organ of the ruling party, on Wednesday held a closed-door meeting whose main agenda, the Secretary-General Hassan Omar told Nation, was to discuss the dissolution of ANC and its members' joining of UDA.
“By law, when a party dissolves, the Office of the Registrar of Political Parties (ORPP) writes to the party (it is dissolving to join) to agree if they are ready to inherit both assets and liabilities of the dissolved party.
There must be a meeting of a party organ to make such a decision. So we met to ratify the dissolution of the ANC. We were also ratifying the decision to have ANC officials hold new positions in UDA and also to finalise other processes like onboarding ANC staff,” said Mr Omar.
He noted that although there was a general desire for UDA and ODM to enter a pact as soon as possible, there was a need to allow Mr Odinga to conclude his nationwide consultations for the party members to embrace the deal.
“There is a desire to move fast, but we have to respect Raila’s decision to consult widely so that the arrangement can receive the necessary support from the rank and file of ODM,” he said.
Mr Odinga had last week announced his plans to consult widely with his friends and supporters before making a political move on whether to work with President Ruto or not.
“I am back home, I am going to meet my friends, my supporters, and I am going to consult widely. In due course, we are going to announce a way forward. I just want to say watch this space I will be talking again,” said Mr Odinga, when he was hosted by President Ruto at State House, Mombasa.
The party is scheduled to have yet another meeting of its Central Management Committee – a top organ of the party – tentatively by this week to take a position on the matter. The organ last Thursday held its first meeting in Kisumu to deliberate on the proposed cooperation deal with Dr Ruto’s UDA.
The Kisumu meeting is said to have created a technical team to be led by Prof Adams Oloo. Also on the team are lawyer Jackson Awele and other legal minds in the Orange party. The team, according to an ODM official who spoke off record, has been tasked to go through a draft cooperation agreement.
The technical team is expected to report to ODM Secretary General Edwin Sifuna, who would later present the document before the party’s Central Management Committee for possible ratification. Mr Sifuna has, however, remained critical of President Ruto’s administration and has repeatedly said that the incumbent would lose even with the backing of Mr Odinga.
A total of 109 PS applicants were interviewed and names of successful individuals were submitted to President Ruto. Some of the individuals interviewed by the Public Service Commission (PSC) are perceived allies of Mr Odinga.
Former Nairobi Governor Ann Kananu and ex-MPs Wilson Sossion, Abdullahi Diriye, Fatuma Ibrahim Ali, Andrew Toboso, and Ahmed Ibrahim were among the applicants interviewed. Ms Kananu was among individuals who traveled to Addis Ababa, Ethiopia for the African Union Commission (AUC) elections, in which Mr Odinga lost.
Former Nyeri Deputy Governor Dr Caroline Karugu, a close ally of Mr Odinga, former PSs Dr Nicholas Muraguri, Micah Powon, and Dr Isaac Kaberia, who served in Mr Kenyatta’s administration were also interviewed.
Dr Patrick Amoth, who currently serves as the Director General for Health, and Dr Andrew Mulwa, who briefly served as the acting CEO of the Kenya Medical Supplies Agency (KEMSA) were also listed for the interviews. Dr Mulwa testified against Mr Gachagua during the impeachment proceedings.
Other notable names that were interviewed are ex-Kenya Medical Practitioners, Pharmacists and Dentists Union (KMPDU) Secretary General Fredrick Ouma Oluga, former Chief Administrative Secretary David Osianyi, former Independent Police Oversight Authority (IPOA) board chair Anne Makori, ex-Kenya Pipeline Company Managing Director, Dr Macharia Irungu and former KBC Managing Director Dr Naim Bilal and ODM blogger Gabriel Oguda. A total of 2517 individuals had applied for the jobs, according to PSC.
