Government warns CSs against divided loyalty, airing views

New CSs during their induction process at the National Defence University-Kenya in Karen, Nairobi on August 12, 2024 [Boniface Okendo, Standard]

Behind the impregnable walls of the National Defense College in Karen, Nairobi, newly appointed Cabinet Secretaries learnt that they would no longer have views of their or the luxury of divided loyalty.

The CSs, four of whom were headhunted from Orange Democratic Movement (ODM) were informed that they were members of an army whose solitary general was the country's commander-in-chief, William Ruto, whose loyalty was unconditional and mandatory.

This came only hours after Cooperatives and MSMEs Wycliff Oparanya indicated that in the event he was directed to carry out unpopular policies, he would not oblige.

During the two-day induction by senior government technocrats under the coordination of Chief of Staff and Head of Public Service Felix Koskei and facilitated by the National Defence University of Kenya, the CSs were told they would henceforth have no personal views or observations. Their word going forward, will be the Kenya Kwanza government’s policy pronouncements.

The CSs were guided on the national security posture they must operate on.

They were also inducted on safeguarding the national interests, the machinery of State, the mechanics of parliamentary engagement and the tenets of effective communication and branding.

The trainers who included senior government agents and security operatives told the CSs how they should carry themselves in the public, their posture and public stand on, among other things foreign relations and security matters.

When Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua stood on the podium to close the induction ceremony, he reminded the CSs that they were soldiers in an army that had only one general; President William Ruto.

The Cabinet, which is drawn from the Kenya Kwanza Alliance and Raila Odinga’s ODM party, was directed that their loyalty to the Head of State and government was not negotiable.

“You are now also bound by collective responsibility, and no matter your personal views on a matter, once it is directed by the President or resolved in Cabinet, your duty is to jealously, fiercely, and firmly defend it,” Gachagua told the CSs.

The personal views of the government officials, to which the CSs must carry the same weight, consideration and gravitas as their Cabinet memoranda, or official communication.

“Loyalty also means faithful, honest and truthful Counsel to the President. Offer honest counsel and advice, even to the plans and activities that appear already set in stone. But when the President reflects on your counsel and offers guidance on a different route, take it up as such without turning back." 

"A change of mindset has been emphasized in this meeting. We have been reminded that notwithstanding how we have come here, or the expectations we may have of political or personal reward, we are now called to a different order,” Gachagua said.

The CSs, regardless of their past political affiliations, were told that their key task was to translate Ruto’s political intent into policy programs according to the Bottom-Up-Economic Transformation Agenda (BETA) plan.

“We must be open and accessible leaders who listen, learn, and lead not just by words, but by example. Don’t lock yourself up in your office, move around and find out what is really going on,” the CSs were told.

They were also directed to have an open-door policy that encourages full and frank input from those who serve under them and to encourage diverse opinions.

“Interact with ordinary Kenyans from all walks of life. The feedback you can receive from the watchman, farmer, or Uber driver can be a million times better than reports and briefings of officials because it is honest, unfiltered, and based on lived experience and not just observation,” the Deputy President said.

The order by the government to the CSs comes barely two days after Oparanya expressed willingness to step down if his advice to the government is overlooked.

Speaking during a church service at Mariakani Church of God, the Cooperative and MSMEs CS, highlighted his track record as a key factor in his selection to assist the government in achieving its targets.

“Those who have been to Kakamega can see the work that I did there as governor; that is why the government sought me out because I am able to do the work. I will help them; however, if I tell them we should move in a certain direction and they ignore my counsel, I will leave and go back home,” Oparanya said.

He also emphasised the importance of unity among the Luhya community and praised the formation of a broad-based government.