Ruto's Cabinet should hit the ground running

President William Ruto, Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua and the newly sworn-in Cabinet Ministers at State House, Nairobi on October 27, 2022. [Jonah Mwangi, PPS]

President William Ruto yesterday oversaw the swearing-in of Cabinet secretaries (CSs) following their approval by Parliament. The CSs are principal assistants to Dr Ruto as he steers the ship of State to calm waters following his election as Kenya's fifth president on August 9.

Their appointment followed rigorous vetting by the National Assembly's Committee on Appointments and approval by the plenary despite the rejection of three of the nominees.

As a result, questions abound whether there is a need for vetting nominees in the fast place if adverse recommendations can be swept under the carpet for political expediency.

The newly appointed CSs come on board at the worst possible time when, arguably, the country is going through an economic crisis brought on by Covid-19, negative effects of climate change due to global warming, the war in Ukraine and poor governance.

While the urge to celebrate their new achievements could be overpowering, they do not have the luxury to indulge. They must hit the ground running.

The CSs come on board at a time when the surfeit of hope in government turning around the fortunes of hustlers is dipping. This follows the government's admission that it cannot bring down the high cost of living within 100 days as earlier promised during campaigns.

On the contrary, when President Ruto yanked off fuel subsidies, commodity prices went up and life took a turn for the worst. Without fuel subsidies, the cost of electricity also shot up, and Kenyans are hurting. Many feel betrayed, and for a good reason.

The effects of Covid-19 that drove many businesses under, caused job losses and negatively impacted the economy are still being felt. The education calendar was taken back a whole year and government efforts to recover lost time have left parents with a fee burden under which many of them labour.

The Competency-Based Curriculum is yet to be fully embraced because of the burden and uncertainty it brought. Teacher shortages and congested classes are the order of the day but must be addressed urgently. The strain on both teachers, students and parents is unbearable.

Drought in at least 23 of Kenya's 47 counties is driving many to desperation as they helplessly watch domestic and wild animals die due to lack of pasture and water, especially in the arid and semi arid lands.

To people in these counties, fertiliser subsidies mean nothing. All they want is the government to provide relief food and water until the rains come to their rescue.

These problems, and many others, call for solutions, and CSs are tasked with finding those solutions in the shortest time possible. They must do so to win public trust. This is possible through speedy actualisation of promises made during campaigns.

Whether Kenya becomes a better place or gets worse will be determined by how CSs execute their mandates. The time for them to prove they have the mettle to make things happen is now. This is not their turn to eat, it is time ensure that every Kenyan's plate is full.