Siwezi endesha serikali pekee yangu! Ruto on nomination of CSs

President William Ruto has defended his move to initiate a broad-based government.

This is after the President nominated leaders affiliated with the opposition Chief Raila Odinga in his Cabinet.

While speaking in Mombasa on Thursday, Ruto said that he cannot run the government alone adding that he will work with other leaders.

"Hii serikali siwezi endesha peke yangu. Jana nimeteua baraza la mawaziri mpya na nimesema watu wa Mombasa naomba mnipatie Hassan Joho awe waziri kwa serikali ya Kenya," Ruto said.

(I can't run this government alone. Yesterday, I nominated some CSs to form the cabinet. I want to ask Mombasa residents to allow Hassan Joho to work in the cabinet).

The President said that it is time the country remains united to promote development.

"We will unite and work with all leaders to transform Kenya."

The President is in Mombasa County for a development tour.

Earlier, Ruto emphasised the importance of uniting the nation through the broad-based cabinet.

He said there was a need for all leaders irrespective of their political affiliations to come together to help in tackling it.

“Kwa sababu ya changamoto tulizonazo katika taifa la Kenya, mimi nimeamua ya kwamba hakuna haja ya kubagua wengine (Because of the problems that we have in our country I have decided that there is no need to continue sidelining other people),” he said.

“Nimesema tutengeneze serikali ya kuunganisha wakenya wote, tulipe ile madeni ya Kenya pamoja, tutafute ushuru pamoja, tufanye maendeleo pamoja...,” he added.

Ruto on Wednesday nominated four opposition members for appointment to the cabinet—Hassan Joho (Mining and Blue economy), John Mbadi (Treasury), Wycliffe Oparanya (Cooperatives) and Opiyo Wandayi (Energy).

While naming the first half of his cabinet nominees, the Head of State said a wider range of ideas, programmes and interventions is needed to facilitate job creation, robust debt management, enhanced transparency and accountability in the use of public resources, mobilise more domestic resources and optimise public expenditure.

However, the move to nominate members of the opposition was received with mixed feelings.

Busia Senator Okiya Omtatah said Ruto's nomination of four opposition leaders in his broad-based cabinet is unconstitutional.

According to Omtatah, under a multi-party democracy, an individual MP or a party can't cross the floor after an election.

He further said that setting up a broad-based government violates Article Three Clause Two of the Constitution.

"It says that any government set up or established contrary to the constitution is null and void. The President decided to establish the government contrary to the principle," he said on Wednesday during an interview with journalists.

Omtatah said that he does not agree with the proposed cabinet by the President.

He added that Parliament should reject the President's list of CS nominees and demand that he stick to his coalition side.

"The Cabinet the President has proposed to establish is unconstitutional," he added.