Mr President, keep election losers out of Cabinet

President William Ruto during the signing of executive orders. [PSCU, Standard]

Dear Mr President,

In the words of Gen Omar Bradley, "the greatness of a leader is measured by the achievements of the led."

This is the ultimate test of his effectiveness. It's without doubt that you and your deputy will be under pressure to fulfill every promise that you made to Kenyans during the campaigns. But even as the political dust settles after the hotly contested polls, the focus now shifts to the appointments you will make.

Mr President, it is my hope and that of countless other Kenyans that you won't recycle leaders like has been the norm. In 2013 and 2017, Retired President Uhuru Kenyatta appointed political losers who were seeking a lifeline into his Cabinet. I hope you will look for professionals as opposed to politicians.

We have seen a number of political losers in the polls hanging around you Mr President; some are even using their social media platform to push your agenda for the country as a way of getting your attention. Some of these leaders have nothing to show for the many years they have been in leadership.

They don't deserve any appointment at all, because they will still fail to deliver on your agenda if given a chance, like they did with your predecessor. For the Kenya Kwanza administration to implement all the promises you made to Kenyans, your administration requires men and women with a good track record. We hope you will not sacrifice experience and expertise on the alter of political rewards.

I'm aware Mr President of the technocrats behind your economic plans for the country. This would be a good starting point as you consider who to pick to the Cabinet. In 2013, together with your predecessor President Kenyatta, you took the same route and appointed technocrats to serve in different ministries, however, this is did not work out since many lacked the skills to navigate the murky political waters.

As a country, we cannot move away from the reality that we need fresh blood when it comes to Cabinet Secretaries, Principal Secretaries, Ambassadors, chairs and members of different government parastatal boards. There are a number of qualified men and women ready to fill up these positions.

Mr President, during your inauguration, you swore to uphold and defend the Constitution of which Chapter Six is an integral part of. We want to see nominees who are beyond reproach as envisioned in Chapter Six.

The country's wage bill is already bloated Mr President and it is my hope and prayer that your Cabinet will be as lean as possible.

We also hope that you won't increase the number of ministries or split some of them in the name of accommodating some friends within Kenya Kwanza alliance.

On my part, I promise to pray for you.

The writer is an Anchor/Reporter at The Standard Group