Kuria reveals Ruto's leadership style at Cabinet retreat

Public Service Cabinet Secretary Moses Kuria. [File, Standard]

Public Service Cabinet Secretary Moses Kuria has given a glimpse into the Cabinet meetings that took place during the Kenya Kwanza retreat held in Naivasha this week.

In an interview on Citizen TV, Kuria praised President William Ruto's leadership style and how he has been holding Cabinet Secretaries accountable for their performance and delivery.

"He (Ruto) does his homework, he reads. If you go to his office, he will want to listen to the most junior person. He likes people who push back because within that engagement a lot gets to come out," Kuria revealed on Wednesday, February 21.

Kuria also disclosed how the Head of State appreciates aides and senior government officials who challenge his ideologies with evidence to support their arguments.

The retreat, which was attended by the Cabinet and Members of Parliament and Senate, was convened to take stock of the government's performance and progress in the first year of Ruto's administration.

Some of the issues discussed were corruption, the status of the country, and the economic recovery plan amid the Covid-19 pandemic.

Kuria said the retreat was an opportunity for the Cabinet to have an honest look at themselves and their weaknesses and to find ways to synergize and lift each other up.

"I think the big take away was the focus on an honest look at ourselves and honest acceptance of our weaknesses and areas we are not getting right and the synergies. I think for me the biggest takeaway is all of us win or lose. On areas we can lift each other up came up very well," Kuria said.

He added that the Cabinet had passed hundreds of memos, policies, and bills in 2023 and that this year would not be business as usual.

"I like the waking and people realizing that this year it will not be business as usual," he added.

During the meeting, President Ruto exuded confidence that the economy was on a trajectory that would create more jobs, wealth, and finance investments.

"Where we stand today as a nation, especially after the anxiety of the last one year, where many in the international community were worried about Kenya's position and its financial ability to manage our situation, including our debt situation, I can now confidently say Kenya is no longer in the list of the countries that run the risk of debt default," he noted.

He also said that the Kenyan shilling was finding its true value after dropping from a high of 160 against the US dollar on February 9 to 142.78.

"The shilling was up because of speculation. It is now finding its true value, and that is the good thing about not fixing exchange rates artificially. Those who were hoarding the dollars have had to offload them, and that is why the shilling is now taking shape," Ruto said.

He urged the Cabinet to uphold integrity and professionalism and to meet the expectations of the Kenyan people.

"We cannot allow integrity issues to derail the plan we have. We have a population with a legitimate expectation of us. They have a track record of my performance so they judge me by a higher standard than would have been ordinarily the case. Because we work together, you are judged by those same standards," Ruto stated.