Ruto's CAS headache as he juggles between allies and getting job done

The nominees have missed out on appointments to the Cabinet or as principal secretaries and many will likely miss the CAS job given the limited slots.

Reports suggest there are only 22 slots available, one for each of the ministries. However, the final number will be the president's discretion. Some of those who miss out may land ambassadorial roles.

Among those waiting are new allies as well as old ones, with Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua's recent remarks on order of priority likely to cause anxiety among new allies, who hail mostly from Nyanza region.

On Sunday, Gachagua said those who had stood with Ruto before the polls would be considered more favourably than those who jumped ship after his victory. That has been the case with previous government appointments Ruto has made, which have mostly favoured his allies from Mt Kenya and Rift Valley regions.

An analysis by The Standard shows Mt Kenya holds the lion's share of nominees shortlisted by the Public Service Commission for the CAS slots. Of the 224 persons shortlisted for CAS jobs, 53 hail from Gachagua's Mt Kenya backyard.

In the analysis, some counties that form parts of former Eastern and Rift Valley provinces were classified as part of Mt Kenya. They are Meru, Embu, Tharaka Nithi, Laikipia and Nakuru.

The seven Rift Valley counties that form President Ruto's backyard have the second-highest shortlisted nominees, numbering 33. Following in third and fourth are Nyanza and North Eastern, with 29 and 27 shortlisted nominees respectively.

Nairobi accounts for lowest number of nominees at five, followed by Ukambani with nine. Three nominees did not identify their counties of origin. An analysis that includes Trans Nzoia as part of the Western region reveals 18 nominees from Prime Cabinet Secretary Musalia Mudavadi's home region. The number drops to 13 in a scrutiny of the former provinces.

The regional classification mirrors the voting patterns of specific counties, which has informed appointments in the Kenya Kwanza government.

President Uhuru Kenyatta created the posts to reward poll losers of the 2017 General Election. The role replaced the former assistant minister position, scrapped in the current constitution. The CASs were placed second in ranking at the ministries.

The 224 nominees are set to be interviewed next month.