Cabinet Roundup: CS Kuria's media rant, new app for diaspora jobs

It has been a busy week as usual for William Ruto's Cabinet Secretaries in their quest to deliver on their mandate.

As a summary, this is what various CSs were up to this week;

Health CS Susan Nakhumicha reaffirmed her determination to deal with all corrupt individuals who have squandered public funds meant to help sick people.

She said Ruto is determined to ensure that his government is free from corruption.

"Corruption brings down the quality of services that is why I have decided to crack thieves from the NHIF,” she said.

Interior CS Kithure Kindiki assured Kenyans at large that their safety is guaranteed.

Kindiki also said the government will do all it takes to fight and end the terror menace in the country.

This comes amid increased attacks that have seen more than 30 people, the majority of them security officials killed in separate al Shabaab attacks near the Kenya-Somalia border in the past weeks at an alarming rate.

This is even as the security chiefs keep saying they are on top of the game against the al Shabaab terror group.

“We have already set aside Sh20 billion to purchase advanced security equipment, including armoured personnel carrier vehicles, drones and other gadgets so that our security agencies get proper safety as they effectively fight the terrorists," he said.

Defence Cabinet Secretary Aden Duale says they have put several measures to tame the terror activities in the region.

Duale warned locals against working with the terror group in enhancing their attacks.

Education CS Ezekiel Machogu presided over the official opening ceremony of the 46th edition of the Kenya Secondary School Heads Association that was held in Mombasa.

Machogu announced that the ministry will start new ways of releasing school capitation funds starting next year.

He said the capitation will be disbursed in the ratio of 50:30:20 for the first term, second term and third term respectively.

"One of the pressing issues that we need to tackle is the delay in the disbursement of capitation. I understand the challenges and the constraints that these delays cause to operations in your schools," Machogu said.

For the longest time, capitation funds are usually released quarterly.

The CS said the change will ensure a more equitable distribution of funds throughout the year, empowering schools to plan and utilise resources more efficiently.

This comes amid continued complaints about the delayed disbursement of capitation to schools from the government.

Investments, Trade and Industry CS Moses Kuria announced the way forward, amidst his fight with the media.

Kuria said he wakes up early every day to do work that will fix the country's economy but that is not highlighted by the media.

In an early morning tweet, the CS insisted that he will continue working hard to turn around the economy, whether the media reports it or not.

"Every day I wake up as early as 3 am to do many wonderful things to turn around our economy. The media will never report this," he said.

"I will continue doing great things to turn around our economy whether the media reports them or not. Two, I will continue saying those things that Koinangestreet.com will definitely report. Good morning Kenya!" Kuria said.

Kuria has been on the news in the past few days over his attacks on the Nation Media Group.

During a church gathering, Kuria said he would sack any government official who advertises with the media house.

He accused the media house of propelling negative stories about the government.

Foreign and Diaspora Affairs CS Alfred Mutua disclosed government plans to have Kenyans easily seek job opportunities in the diaspora from the comfort of their houses using smartphones.

He said the government has developed a platform dubbed Kazi Majuu to help Kenyans seek opportunities.

Speaking on Friday during the launch of Gava Mkononi, a mobile app version of the e-Citizen, Mutua said the platform will provide skills assessment to job seekers.

"We have come up with a platform called Kazi Majuu where Kenyans can go online and look for job opportunities all over the World," he said.

The CS said the platform will help job seekers in finding all the documents needed to relocate to the country.

Mutua said it will also be able to track the remittances and the life of Kenyans overseas.