Will Uhuru men help stabilise 'sinking' Kenya Kwanza ship?

When former Health Cabinet Secretary Mutahi Kagwe, former Kiambu Governor William Kabogo and former Nakuru Governor Lee Kinyanjui appeared in Parliament for vetting on Tuesday, they had grand plans of revamping President William Ruto administration once they assume office.

For people considered to have been political outliers for the last few years after their departure from office, they gave an outside-looking-in perspective of how to best to address the ills that afflict the Kenya Kwanza administration.

One by one, they detailed how they would engage technocrats, fight cartels, regulate the social media space and leverage on new technologies to not only better Kenyan’s lives but also politically win over the masses.

The nomination of Kagwe and Kinyanjui was a by-product of the Ichaweri meeting between Ruto and former President, Uhuru Kenyatta. Kabogo has always been a Ruto man, having been a signatory to the Kenya Kwanza coalition agreement.

Their mere presence within Parliament for vetting was testament to the rapprochement between President William Ruto and his predecessor Uhuru Kenyatta. It was more of a show of resolve by the latter to ‘rescue’ a beleaguered administration.

Kagwe was nominated and vetted for the Agriculture and Livestock docket, Kabogo to the Information and Communication Technology (ICT) docket while Kinyanjui was nominated to take up the Investments, Trade and Industry docket.

However, their nominations, come at a time the Ruto administration is struggling to steady the ship amid internal turmoil that threatens to sink it;

Cabinet Secretaries are openly criticising the very government they serve while technocrats charged with steering the government to prosperity have downed their tools. Murmurs of discontent by insiders are also rife with the talk of mass resignations ahead of the 2027 general election gaining traction.

This, coupled with the sustained criticism over some of its policies such as the crisis in the education, healthcare and housing sectors has compounded the government’s woes.

According to insiders who spoke to The Standard, leaders who will be seeking office in 2027 are keen on shedding off any affiliation to the now “unpopular” Kenya Kwanza administration – especially those from the Mt Kenya region who feel aggrieved by the recent ouster of former Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua and those seeking political relevance post Ruto’s presidency.

The clearest indication that all is not well within government has been by the twin blow delivered by Public Service Cabinet Secretary Justin Muturi in a span of three days. His first salvo came on Sunday when he criticized government over the ongoing abductions. Muturi expressed displeasure at how the Ruto administration was handling abductions.

“The cardinal duty of the State is; to protect the lives and livelihoods of its citizens. The government cannot claim ignorance of such serious breaches of Kenyans’ rights to live free from wrongful confinement,” said the CS.

He lamented that his family had fallen victim to the abductions and had suffered personal trauma after his son was abducted during the Gen Z protests in June last year. At the time, Muturi was the Attorney General.

And in a double-down of his attack, Muturi on Tuesday made a damning revelation of how his son, Leslie Muturi, was allegedly abducted and released by the National Intelligence Service (NIS) officers following an order by President William Ruto.

In a statement to police recorded on Tuesday, the CS gave a detailed account of how his son was kidnapped on June 22, 2024, by unknown people who were armed along Dennis Pritt Road. He narrated how his efforts to locate his son ultimately led him to State House where he prompted the Head of State to act.

He narrated the ordeal to Ruto and expressed his disbelief that NIS was holding his son.

"Standing outside the pavilion, I heard the President ask Haji if he was holding my son, Noordin confirmed, that indeed he was holding my son and the President instructed him to release Leslie immediately. Noordin responded that Leslie would be released within an hour," the CS added.

He said his son was later released and proceeded home.

Peter Mbae, the Head of Government Delivery Service, also tendered his resignation citing frustration over unaddressed issues within his role.

The president’s communication team would however attribute Mbae’s resignation to the dissolution of the Government Delivery Unit in July 2024. In a statement, it held that Mbae had ceased to be an employee after the dissolution of the unit.

And with the looming  fallout and the General Election just two years away, the bringing on board of the trio is seen as an umpteenth attempt by Ruto to bring on board leaders with solutions to his crises.

But will the new men help stabilize a sinking ship?

Kagwe submitted to the committee that his plan to turn around the fortunes of the current regime include transformation of the agriculture sector to make it “cool” for the youth, deployment of a robust communication system and eradicate graft within its ranks.

“Agriculture has long been viewed narrowly, focusing only on production. To ensure the sector thrives, we must place farmers at the center. It should be driven by profitability and innovation, making it exciting and attractive to young people—not dull or routine,” he said.

He noted the need for a shift in perception, noting that agriculture’s current image discourages youth participation.

Should he be given a second chance, he vowed to dismantle and decisively deal with cartels that that had smeered mud on the face of the current administration.

“I’m quite aware that there are cartels in this ministry. I know cartels fight back. Not only would I expect them to fight me back once I start fighting them, in fact, I’m ready for the battle because I know it’ll come,” he said.

To sort out the controversy surrounding the livestock vaccination campaign by government, he promised to leverage on mainstream and social media to engage all stakeholders to “cure misinformation.”

But Kagwe will have to shrug off the baggage of Covid-19 billions and the subsequent procurement scandals that rocked Kenya Medical Supplies Authority, which was under the Ministry of Health which he was leading.  

Kabogo, on his part, was more focused on a restitching of the moral fabric of society- which he held had been torn by the youth-as his first task in office.

“We should be thinking about engaging the younger generation, the Gen Zs and millennials, on how to have to have ethical use of the internet space. Because today they may be Gen Zs, but in a couple of years, they will be fathers, and the engagement should be such that if you put Kabogo in a coffin, as is the case now, but one time they will be fathers like me, how would they feel when their father is put in a coffin?” He posed.

To protect local business like Safaricom, he proposed regulatory frameworks to ensure fair competition and consumer protection. The former Kambu governor is still haunted by the ghosts of the allegations linking him with drug trafficking and the mysterious death of university  Mercy Keino at a party in 2011.

Former Governor Kinyanjui is intent on turning around Kenya’s economy. His proposal centers around making exports a national priority, particularly food products to the Middle East. This, he said, could be achieved by encouraging local investors, especially in cottage industries, to grow.

In ensuring better conditions for small-scale business people, he intends to ensure timely payment of suppliers and work with the National Treasury to resolve delays. He also stressed the importance of prioritizing local manufacturing sectors and economic zones in each county.

Ahead of the special sitting slated for today Thursday, all eyes are now on the appointments committee on whether it will recommend for the approval of the trio and whether Parliament through debate, will give them the green light.

But whether Kinyanjui will overcome accusations of dumping street children in a forest in Eldoret and assist president Ruto steady the Kenya Kwanza ship to safe shores remains to be seen.