President William Ruto has ruled out any possibility of appointing the Chief Administrative Secretaries (CASs) in the near future.
Ruto said despite parliament making the necessary legislative approvals that paved way for their appointments, he has made a deliberate decision to delay it.
"I realised we were in a position where we could not afford to manage the rising wage bill," he said.
Speaking during a TV interview Sunday night, Ruto explained that this will only happen when the economist situation stabilises.
"No CAS will be appointed until when we have an economy that supports more opportunities," he asserted.
The announcement is now a big blow to several of his allies who had been appointed and awaiting to be absorbed.
On the offices of the First Lady and Second Lady, Ruto clarified that such offices have been in existence as he revealed that following the recent developments brought about by the rejection of the Finance Bill, 2024, such will be trimmed.
"Because we have to live within our means, those offices will not be part of our equation," he said.
Ruto appointed 50 CASs in March last year. Some have since been reassigned other roles in government.
MPs passed the National Government Laws (Amendment) Bill 2023 early this year giving Ruto an opportunity to appoint the individuals.
The Bill removed the initial cap on the number of CASs to 22 and replaced with "as many as required".
The Justice and Legal Affairs Committee (JLAC) had, in its initial report tabled in February, proposed that the number be capped at 22.
"In light of the varied roles that may be assigned to a CAS, JLAC noted that capping the number of CASs may affect the ability of the Executive to recruit and deploy the number of CASs required to deliver its programmes,” read the report.