I have no advisors, says Duale as deadline to limit staff nears

Defence CS Aden Duale. [File, Standard]

Defence Cabinet Secretary Aden Duale has responded to Head of Public Service Felix Koskei’s memo to cut the number of advisors in ministries by half.

Duale stated on his X account that he had no advisors in his docket and instead received advice from Kenya Defence Forces employees. 

“I have no advisers to submit as the men and women at the helm of Defence headquarters leadership have the required training, knowledge, and experience to give me strategic advice and guidance to steer the Ministry,” he said. 

Duale was responding to Koskei’s directive for Cabinet members to reduce the number of advisors from two to one, and submit the names of preferred staff by July 11. 

"Assess your office's requirements and indicate the advisor you wish to retain to support your portfolio mandate. Advisors beyond the set threshold will be phased out from the Public Service,” Koskei stated in a letter dated July 8.

According to the Head of Public Service, CSs are allowed two advisors, which should be reduced to one as per the President’s directive.

Public Service CS Moses Kuria also supported the move, committing to reduce the number of advisors in his ministry. “I have to rule by example. This is an issue of morality, an unethical question that makes no sense. This is the right direction,” Kuria said on Citizen TV.

Kuria further highlighted the need to cut public expenditure and the wage bill. 

“One million of us who are employed by the government take home half of the tax revenues of this country. Half of your day, you work for me, you work for one million people. Our public expenditure is going to burn this country; it is going to consume this country,” he added.

However, Koskei noted that personal staff for Cabinet Secretaries would remain as set out in the Public Service Commission guidelines, which allows for two staffers.

Koskei’s directive is part of the austerity measures that President William Ruto listed to enhance governance. Ruto had earlier admitted that his Cabinet and administration had several advisors whose cost-benefit could be hard to determine.

The measures aim to restore faith in public institutions by enhancing accountability and transparency.

So far, there are no clear records of the number of CSs who have adhered to the directive to reduce advisors.