Looming reshuffle as Uhuru seeks to halt gravy train

A major reshuffle that could affect a number of Cabinet and Principal Secretaries whose ministries have been adversely mentioned in corruption is on the cards.

President Uhuru Kenyatta is seeking to put his foot down on runaway corruption, and set the tone for the legacy leg of his presidency.

Also expected in the changes is the possible inclusion of opposition leader Raila Odinga’s interests in government, nearly 100 days after the famous handshake with the President.

A source privy to the goings at State House told Sunday Standard the President has been looking at intelligence reports and will soon “act” and purge corrupt officials from government.

In their place, Uhuru could replace them with individuals agreed upon with Raila in consultation with other arms of government, the source said.

On Friday, President Kenyatta gave the biggest hint yet of the impeding make-over after putting government officers on notice of immediate and mandatory vetting exercise involving lie detectors.

“Those who fail the vetting will stand suspended. I expect this exercise to be concluded before the start of the new financial year. You will hear of other tougher actions in the days to come,” he said.

The fate of at least four CSs and some of their accounting officers could be on the line.

The President is said to have summoned a second term CS during the first week of April, seeking information on allegation of graft in his ministry.

Raila is widely credited with bringing the 2015 NYS scandal to public limelight.

It is expected that some of Raila’s allies will feature in the appointments to various boards.

‘Numbered days’

The terms of board members of close to 40 parastatals and government agencies’ expired last month, slowly grounding their operations and putting to question any decisions made beyond their tenures.

The changes will come just five months after he appointed his Cabinet.

Reached for comment, State House Spokesman Manoah Esipisu said he was not aware of any looming reshuffle and would not respond to speculation.

“We do not respond to speculation, neither do we second guess the President,” Esipisu said.

Our sources however indicated that a reshuffle was firmly on the cards, the latest indication being a leaked confidential letter by Head of Public Service Joseph Kinyua to Director Criminal Investigations (DCI) George Kinoti.

The terse letter, copied to Director Public Prosecutions (DPP) Noordin Haji, noted that Uhuru was “irked with the corrupt, who appear to have permeated every sector of his government”.

“I cannot emphasize enough the need for thorough investigations in these cases. Investigate and question anyone involved irrespective of rank or level,” reads Kinyua’s letter to Kinoti, citing the Sh9 billion National Youth Service (NYS) scam, Kenya Power inflated bills and the National Cereals and Produce Board (NCPB) maize scandal.

Last week, Uhuru kicked out the Kenya Revenue Authority (KRA) board and reconstituted it alongside four others. A High Court in Nairobi has however suspended the changes which involved former head of civil service Amb Francis Muthaura taking over from former PS Edward Sambili.

The President, insiders say, is keen to exorcise the ghost of corruption that partly defined half of his first term and has reared its ugly head early into his second and final term.

“He gets daily intelligence that includes cases of corruption. He will soon act on them,” said the State House insider.

On Wednesday, a furious Uhuru warned that he will not spare all those mentioned in corruption cases, saying all those involved in graft should carry their own crosses and return the ill-gotten wealth.

“There will be no mercy for the thieves. Their days are numbered,” Uhuru said while presiding over the issuance of 50,000 title deeds at Jacaranda Grounds in Embakasi.

Raila has in recent days echoed Kenyatta’s message on graft and governance, taking caution to measure his condemnation while preparing the ground for any drastic action the President may take in the coming days.

Significant role

Those close to Raila say a more significant role in government by the Opposition leader might have been one of the things agreed upon by the two men during the handshake, and for Uhuru to have a defining last term, he should bank on Raila’s support.

The NASA leader has been a State guest at various functions such as Thursday’s National Prayer Day, Friday’s Madaraka celebration in Meru. A week ago, he was in Juba, South Sudan, as an emissary for the State.

His fervent anti-Uhuru rhetoric that formed a significant part of his speech before and after last year’s elections has considerably melted as the narrative between the two men shifts from that of adversaries to one of nationhood.

Others say these current undertone of unity between the two men is simply a marriage of convenience for two members of the country’s biggest political families looking out for each other following the threat of a William Ruto presidency.

In his first term, Uhuru kicked out five Cabinet Secretaries at one fell swoop. They included Charity Ngilu (Lands), Felix Koskei (Agriculture, Fisheries and Livestock), Michael Kamau (Infrastructure and Roads), Kazungu Kambi (Labour) and Davis Chirchir (Energy and Petroleum) who were under investigation by the EACC for graft cases.

On Tuesday, 20 NYS suspects, including Youth Affairs PS Lillian Mbogo, NYS boss Richard Ndubai and his deputy Sammy Gichuki were arraigned in court.

“I am glad that arrests of senior officials have been made. There are more on the way. I want officials, particularly senior ones, implicated in corruption to have no place in my administration and for them to go to jail,” Uhuru said on Friday.

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