CSs must refuse to dance to the beats of political party drums

President William Ruto, chairs a Cabinet Meeting at State House, Nairobi on 29/4/2025. [Elly Okware/PCS]

In every constitutional democracy, there comes a quiet test of character, a moment when power must decide whether it serves the crowd or the country. For Kenya, that test now circles Cabinet Secretaries (CSs). Can they, while clothed in the authority of office, descend into the arena of partisan chants and party regalia? Or must they stand apart, steady as the Constitution demands?

The architecture of the 2010 Constitution offers a clear answer. A CS is appointed by the President, yet once sworn, that oath shifts allegiance from an individual to the Republic. The oath is not whispered to party members. It is declared before the nation. It binds the office holder to all Kenyans, including those who cast their ballots for rival candidates and those who chose silence over the polling booth.