Mudavadi denies row with Kuria over office space

Prime Cabinet Secretary Musalia Mudavadi. [Samson Wire, Standard]

The Office of the Prime Cabinet Secretary has said that there are no wrangles in the allocation of office space to Cabinet Secretaries and portfolio designation.

The Prime Cabinet Secretary Musalia Mudavadi through the Secretary Government Strategic Communication Kibisu Kabatesi, said Ministry of Foreign and Diaspora Affairs (MFDA) has been a squatter at the Treasury Building and he is awaiting completion of renovation and refurbishment of his Railways Headquarters office.

"Nonetheless, given his avowed unpretentiousness, the PCS-MFDA has already relocated to the premises pending completion. To therefore allege that Treasury Building is designated as the office of the Prime Cabinet Secretary and Cabinet Secretary for Foreign and Diaspora Affairs is to convolute public evidence in the Executive Order No1 of January 2023 that designates the office as at Kenya Railways headquarters," said Kabatesi.

On Sunday a section of the media reported alleged tussle between Mudavadi, and Public Service Cabinet Secretary Moses Kuria, over office space.

Kabatesi said that in government pecking order, Kuria cannot attack his superior, the Prime Cabinet Secretary.

He emphasized that portfolio designation was the prerogative of the President and cannot be usurped by a civil servant.

"What this means is that until and unless Executive Order No.1 of January 2023 is vacated by President William Ruto with another Executive Order, the status quo remains. Any public servant purporting to allocate Ministerial locations or portfolios is misguided to the extent that they are attempting to usurp a function that belongs to the President," he said.

In the recent reorganisation of government, the State Department of Performance Management under which the Public Service Performance Management Unit falls was deployed to the Ministry of Public Service.

"All the other institutions that support the Prime Cabinet Secretary's function of "Coordination and Supervision of Government Ministries and State Departments" and "Oversee of the Implementation of National Government policies, programmes and projects" have not been affected, contrary to some speculative reportage," said Kabatesi.