Why Ruto faces delicate balance in picking new Cabinet

President William Ruto faces a delicate balancing act in the expected reconstitution of his second Cabinet.

Ruto is under pressure to craft a lean Cabinet of competent and qualified individuals to assuage public disaffection and appease Generation Zoomers (Gen Zs) that mounted nationwide protests against his government.

Gen Zs have insisted they will call for more countrywide protests if the President's next Cabinet does not fit the bill and those kicked out find their way back.

They have also insisted they will ''vet'' the new Cabinet before it is formally appointed, to improve governance and block corrupt elements from returning to government.

The President last week stamped his authority and sacked the Cabinet except Prime Cabinet Secretary Musalia Mudavadi.

The office of the DP was also not affected by the changes that saw Ruto drop his friends and allies.

Yet, the President's visible fallout with his deputy Rigathi Gachagua and the push to form a Government of National Unity complicate his options. 

Some fear that should the share of the Mount Kenya region in the Cabinet be reduced, the DP could sustain his revolt against the President and complicate Ruto's 2027 reelection bid.

Others opine that Ruto's strategic retention of Mudavadi in his Foreign Affairs docket during the purge signals his 2027 options.

Analysts have said the President is working on a new political scheme that will see him inherit opposition chief Raila Odinga's Western and Nyanza bases as his other option, should Mt Kenya drift away.

Former CS Kipruto Kirwa warned against the government ''going to bed'' with the opposition on the next cabinet changes, saying the president must defend democracy.

"The President should do serious soul-searching before he gets a team of Kenyans to work with him for the next three years. In that team he must look beyond political formations,'' Kirwa said.

"He must get people whom once they get in will be able to engage him as a partner, as a friend in nation building and not as a boss because that is where I feel the main source of trouble in the Ruto administration has arisen.''

This, as it emerged that some MPs across the political divide might be persuaded to resign to take up ministerial positions when Ruto reconstitutes his national unity government.

New-look Cabinet 

The Star has established that one MP from the opposition could resign to join the executive in the expected government, to stabilise the country.

Already, the Opposition has started to align with the new reality that Raila Odinga's ODM party could second a few politicians to join the Cabinet.

Those mentioned include ODM chairperson John Mbadi who is also a nominated MP, former Kakamega Governor Wycliffe Oparanya and his ex-Mombasa counterpart Hassan Joho.

Homa Bay Town MP Peter Kaluma said ODM is ready to support the President against what he described as a political war from his deputy.

“We must liberate President Ruto from the blackmails of Gachagua," Kaluma said.

“One community can't have all seats in a multi-ethnic nation whose Constitution emphasises ethnic and regional balance in public service - wrong, very wrong.’’

Another two lawmakers allied to Ruto’s UDA party may join the next Cabinet as the President seeks to shore up his administration with seasoned politicians.

However, there are concerns that the President might be uncomfortable with by-elections that could further expose his administration and fuel war within his party.

There are reports that Ruto could only go for a few professionals or experts to support his next Cabinet.

The majority could be experienced politicians and regional linchpins who will support his government for the next three years.

Ruto had in August last year admitted that most of his CSs and Principal Secretaries were clueless, amid reports of incompetence and poor performance.

Former Kitutu Masaba MP Timothy Bosire said the President has an opportunity to redeem his administration by hiring an efficient and qualified cabinet.

“The President is not limited in his options but the bottom line remains getting a team that will understand his vision and competently work for Kenyans,’’ Bosire said.

Asked if the President can incorporate Opposition leaders in government, the ODM National Treasurer said, “It is time for a government of national unity."

Last Thursday, Ruto said he will include Kenyans both in public and private sector with the aim of setting up a “broad-based government".

“That will assist me in accelerating and expediting the necessary urgent and irreversible implementation of the programme that we have to deal with the burden of debt,” he said.

The President has insisted he wants a lean and efficient government, but the variables at play leave him in a complex political dilemma.

With Raila’s image looming large and a widening rift with Gachagua, Ruto would have to play his cards carefully to balance political and governance interests.

On one hand, the President is facing a catch-22 situation on the future of his key allies, some of whom resigned after winning their parliamentary seats to join the Cabinet.

They include Aden Duale (ex-Garissa Township) and Alice Wahome (Kandara) and former Transport and Roads CS Kipchumba Murkomen. 

Political analyst Alexander Nyamboga said the President could consider the three for his new Cabinet, given their immense sacrifice for his presidential bid.

“Most likely they will be retained, although one of them might be moved from the current ministry to a lesser influential docket," he said.

The three endured humiliation, threats and intimidation under President Uhuru Kenyatta's administration, but stuck with Ruto ahead of the 2022 polls.

Duale was fired by Uhuru as National Assembly Majority leader, while Murkomen was axed as Senate Majority Leader.