Ruto clears Ndii, Malala and Monica Juma to attend Cabinet meetings

From left; UDA Secretary General Clephas Malala, National Security Advisor Monica Juma and hairperson of Council of Economic Advisors David Ndii. [The Standard]

President William Ruto has cleared his advisors Monica Juma, David Ndii, Cleophas Malala and Harriette Chiggai to be attending Cabinet meetings.

The four took oaths of secrecy yesterday, June 27 at State House during a cabinet meeting.

Juma is the National Security Advisor while Ndii and Malala are the chairperson of Council of Economic Advisors and UDA Secretary General respectively. Chiggai is the president's advisor on Women Rights.

"In line with getting women issues at the centre of his administration, President Ruto cleared the Advisor on Women Rights Harriette Chiggai to be attending the meeting," read a statement from State House on Tuesday, June 27.

Speculation is now rife on why the decision to allow the four to attend the high-level meetings, noting that they are not cabinet secretaries.

Other key resolves from the Tuesday meeting include Cabinet approving the establishment of a committee to scrutinize pending bills from June 2005 to June 2022, totaling to Sh640.9 billion, (accounting for Sh481 billion for National Government and Sh159.9 billion for county Governments).

Cabinet also approved the hosting of the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation sub-regional office in Kenya.