How Ruto’s new Cabinet fared in first 100 days

Today marks 120 days since President William Ruto’s new Cabinet took charge, bringing into focus how they have performed.

In August, the President introduced members of ODM to the team to deliver his pledges.

This saw the entry of cabinet secretaries Opiyo Wandayi (Energy), Hassan Joho (Mining), John Mbadi (Treasury), Wycliffe Oparanya (Cooperatives) and Beatrice Askul (EAC).

CSs Eric Muuga (Water), Margaret Ndung’u (ICT), Deborah Barasa (Health), Julius Ogamba (Education) and Andrew Mwihia (Agriculture) also joined the Cabinet.

CSs Aden Duale (Environment), Alice Wahome (Lands), Soipan Tuya (Defence), Davis Chirchir (Roads) Kipchumba Murkomen (Sports) and Rebecca Miano (Tourism) were retained.

Murkomen, Miano, Soipan, Duale and Chirchir were, however, moved to new dockets. Deputy President Kithure Kindiki was also retained in the broadbased government before former DP Rigathi Gachagua’s impeachment.

The president’s call to the team was clear, “they commit to actualising the people’s aspirations and assure citizens that the state exists to serve them.”

 With 120 days since the new team took over, the political scene is abuzz with their performance. The ministers, especially the new ones, have been battling major crises in their dockets.

Nationwide blackouts, strike threats by teachers and health workers, new health insurance backlash, high cost of living and taxes have been their headaches.

The transition to Grade 9 and the Junior Secondary School for Kenya Primary School Education Assessment KPSEA graduates is a thorn in the flesh for the education ministry.

The storm of controversy surrounding the deals with Indian conglomerate Adani Holdings is just subsiding at the energy ministry.

MPs and wananchi have also been up in arms over stalled road projects.

In separate interviews and responses to questions by the Star, cabinet secretaries defended their progress and dismissed the naysayers.

Wandayi told the Star during the period, he helped unlock the 35MW geothermal power plant in Menengai, pushing the project to a financial close.

KenGen and an investor also signed a pact for a 140MW geothermal power plant and green hydrogen plant for green fertiliser in Naivasha.

Wandayi said has facilitated the tendering of 114 solar mini-grids in more than 12 counties and solar installation in 343 public institutions.

The energy minister said he took steps in his infancy days at the helm to stabilise power in western.

He also facilitated the signing of a Sh13 billion facility for last-mile connectivity and another Sh11.3 billion to help Ketraco put up a national control centre.

Completion of Sultan Hamud-Oloitoktok and the Ortum-Kitale transmission line as well as the Kitale substation are some of the projects Wandayi has overseen.

The LPG truck-loading facility was operationalised after Wandayi took over office even as the government eased Uganda’s fuel importation woes.

“They will now ship in all product grades (petrol, diesel and jet fuel) independently and this has greatly enhanced the two governments’ working relationship,” the CS said.

For Murkomen, the first 100 days have been marked by seven milestones among them unlocking a standoff which saw National Youth Council elections delayed for 12 years.

The CS also restored order at the Federation of Kenya Football, improved athletes’ welfare and vouched for more corporate investment in sports.

“I have overseen efforts to restore sanity in Kenyan football by facilitating federation elections after a long period of turmoil,” he said in a brief to the Star.

The Sports CS also boasts of establishing a team to address gender-based violence in sports and mechanisms for concerned agencies to contain the vice.

A review of the Sports Act is also underway by a task force the CS appointed after assuming office.

He said that under his watch, sportspersons have received logistical and financial support without hitches.

Murkomen lists the Youth Development Bill and an increase of student athletes to 3,000 this year from 1,800 last year as some of his milestones.

“I have also put in motion the process of building sports academies in each of the 290 constituencies with the first 30 already advertised,” he said.

Duale said he has officiated and monitored planting of 285 million seedlings. He has also ensured protection of 2.65 million hectares of public forests.

The CS boasts of approving the Sh19 billion project to restore degraded landscapes and improve watershed services under Kenya Watershed Services Improvement Programme (Kewasip).

Duale also boasts of launching a forest fire management project as well as the fencing of the 14km Ngong Road Sanctuary Forest block.

The CS initiated the Mt Elgon conservation project, oversaw 105 inspector cadets and 465 foresters graduates and sorted many historical petitions.

He says he has reformed Kenya Forest Service, initiated baby steps towards clearing Nairobi Rivers and is working towards resolving historical forestland disputes.

Joho said he has streamlined service delivery at Madini House, ensuring higher standards in testing and authentication of minerals.

He said he has held more than 70 engagements with sector players in the mining, blue economy and maritime space.

The CS cited the recent groundbreaking of the Sh11 billion Devki Iron Ore processing plant in Taita Taveta as some of the fruits of the deliberations.

“Plans to put up a value addition plant for copper are at advanced stages,” Joho said.

He has held talks with South Sudan, Denmark, the European Union and United Arab Emirates on areas of collaboration.

The former Mombasa governor launched an aquaculture research centre in Tharaka Nithi, fresh fish market in Chuka with cold storage facilities, scaled up the construction of a Sh6 billion gold refinery in Kakamega and Sh2.5 billion granite processing plant.

Joho said he facilitated the formation of about 230 artisanal mining cooperatives, disbursed Sh1.17 billion grants to coast counties, converted 445 beach management units to cooperatives, commissioned six patrol boats and facilitated jobs for about 2,800 Kenyans in foreign-flagged ships.

The CS boasts of holding the first Kenya mining investment conference, securing the release of three fishermen who were arrested in Madagascar and making a case for Kenya as an investment choice for miners.

At the Education docket, CS Ogamba came in at the height of a strike threat by teachers’ unions Knut and Kuppet.

He said the successful negotiations with the teacher unions – Knut and Kuppet, averted what was deemed as would have been the most disruptive strike in the education sector.

Similar interventions were also instigated to persuade university academic and non-academic staff unions to slam the brakes on their strike plan.

The CS said he has spent most of his maiden days inspecting the progress of Grade 9 classrooms exuding confidence that the target of 16,000 would be achieved.

“I have also facilitated the plan for the countrywide distribution of textbooks to achieve the ratio of one book per learner,” Ogamba said.

He boasts of being part of the team that brokered the truce that ended days of upheavals at Moi University.

He says that his tenure has also seen speedy disbursement of capitation to primary and secondary schools.

For Mbadi, a lot of his time has gone into working with banks to lower interest rates, unlocking pending bills and laying down strategies to increase Kenyans’ take-home pay.