UhuRuto’s Western Kenya Headache As Duo Pick Cabinet

President Uhuru Kenyatta and his Deputy William Ruto are expected to name a 22 member cabinet that sources say will consist of politicians unlike the 18 member team formed in 2013.

The cabinet will be comprised of politicians who can articulate the Jubilee government agenda, something the some current Cabinet secretaries and principal secretaries are said to have fumbled at thus rating most of their performances as below par.

Uhuru and Ruto are keeping their team under wraps but according to individuals in the know, they have openly been in talks with the CSs who might not make the cut.

CS Foreign Affairs Amina Mohammed, Dr Fred Matiang’i (Education and acting CS Interior), Mwangi Kiunjuri (Devolution), Najib Balala (Tourism), Joe Mucheru (ICT) are some of the ministers whose appointments do not hang in the balance, sources have intimated.

But the appointments are largely touted to be in favor of DP Ruto’s succession bid come 2022. The appointments many say, will have to represent regional balancing as well as gender equality.

The daunting task facing the duo is allocating the posts to Jubilee loyalists who lost in August but also attempting to woo regions that support Raila Odinga.

On top of the list are Ababu Namwamba, Paul Otuoma, Kenneth Marende, Moses Akaranga who hail from the vote rich Western region and who were at some point until recently, Raila Odinga’s lieutenants.

Picking from this region presents a conspicuous challenge for the duo. Ababu Namwamba for instance came out to Cris-cross the country while campaigning for Jubilee during the 8 August and 26 October repeat elections.

He comes from the same County (Busia) as former Funyula MP Paul Otuoma with some circles in the region advocating for Otuoma claiming he is a senior to Namwamba.

It is worth noting that the region already has Senate Speaker Ken Lusaka thanks to Jubilee with Marende also a senior politician and revered of the land also seeking a political comeback.

It will be interesting to see whether UhuRuto will retain Water and Irrigation CS Eugene Wamalwa.

Ruto, who likes to play a political underdog, is seemingly not leaving anything to chance as he seeks youthful politicians by his side who will help spearhead his presidential leap after five years. He has set his eyes in Western having been to the region over 50 times between 2013 and 2017.

Read: I Am Not Interested In Cabinet Position – Martha Karua

On the chopping board, sources have said are CS Phyllis Kandie (Labour), Raychelle Omamo (Defense), Cleopa Mailu (Health), Ali Wario (Sports) whose ministries have been rocked with scandal after scandal.

Also set to make it on the list is Prof George Magoha who chairs the Kenya National Examinations Council (KNEC) under CS Matiang’i, Hassan Omar, David Musila, Peter Munya, Issac Ruto are some of the big names touted for the new cabinet.

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