There’ll be no politicians in Cabinet – Ruto

By LABAN WANAMBISI | April 24, 2013

This announcement effectively seals the fate of election losers who have been involved in behind-the-scenes lobbying to secure a Cabinet position/FILE

NAIROBI, Kenya, Apr 24 – Deputy President William Ruto has disclosed that no politicians will serve in the Cabinet of the Jubilee government.

This announcement effectively seals the fate of election losers who have been involved in behind-the-scenes lobbying to secure a Cabinet position.

“Don’t spend a lot of time trying to find among the nominees who is TNA and who is URP… who is the rest of the coalition partners because they don’t exist. In the Cabinet, there will be only two politicians – the president and myself,” Ruto said when he and the president put off naming the remaining 14 Cabinet Secretary nominees.

“These other men and women, their business is not politics; there business is to deliver on the agenda we have for Kenyans.”

The deputy president said that nominees were not asked which party they were aligned to during the interviews.

He emphasised that the issue of political party alignment is irrelevant when looking for people to serve in the respective position of Cabinet Secretaries.

Kenyatta and Ruto on Tuesday named four Cabinet Secretaries of his 18-members Executive.

Fred Matiang’i Okengo has been nominated for the Ministry of Information, Communication and Technology (ICT), Henry K. Rotich from Head of Macro-economics at the Treasury nominated Secretary for the National Treasury ministry, James Wainaina Macharia for the Health ministry and Ambassador Amina Abdalla for Foreign Affairs.

The nominees will have to be vetted by the 28-member Parliamentary Committee on Appointments before they take up their duties.

Already the Presidents nominee for Health Ministry Macharia is facing opposition from Kenya Medical Associations who are demanding one of their own to lead the crucial ministry.