The men in Ruto circle during signing of Executive Order

From Left: Davis Chirchir, Ababu Namwamba, Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua, Korir Sing'oei and President William Ruto at State House, Nairobi on September 13, 2022. [Courtesy of PSCU] As President William Ruto's government takes shape, certain people are certain they'll be extremely close to power, and even witness the creation of some historic moments of the new regime. Some of the people who Ruto has placed close include Moses Wetangula, the former Bungoma Senator, who will now serve as the Speaker of the National Assembly after an effortless win during voting in the chambers. Another one is Amason Kingi, the former Governor of Kilifi County, who will now serve as Speaker of the fourth Senate. Musalia Mudavadi, as per the Kenya Kwanza power-sharing schedule, will be the Chief Cabinet Secretary in Ruto's government. The mentioned politicians played an important role in hoisting the president to victory in the hotly contested August 9, 2022 polls. Wetangula, for instance, is credited for ensuring that Ruto received an impressively high number of votes in Bungoma County than the votes that Raila Odinga, Ruto's main challenger in the presidential election, amassed in the area. Others who are hoping to have a bite of the cherry include former Machakos Governor Alfred Mutua, former Kisii Governor James Ongwae, who joined the Kenya Kwanza bandwagon quite late, former Kwale Governor Salim Mvurya and his Turkana counterpart Josphat Nanok. As allies scramble for a share of Ruto's appointments, there are some people who stood by him way before the August elections. To requite that loyalty, these people were part of the group that on Tuesday witnessed Ruto making his first formal move as President of the Republic of Kenya - the signing of an Executive Order appointing six judges who were rejected by former President Uhuru Kenyatta over alleged integrity issues. The men in Dr Ruto's circle during the signing of the Executive Order on Tuesday are Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua, the president's former Chief of Staff during his tenure as DP, Davis Chirchir, former Foreign Affairs Chief Administrative Secretary (CAS) Ababu Namwamba and Korir Sing'oei, who is President William Ruto's legal advisor. Rigathi Gachagua Rigathi Gachagua is Kenya's second deputy president under the new constitutional dispensation after William Ruto, who has since ascended to the seat of president. Gachagua was sworn into office in Nairobi on Tuesday, September 13 alongside his boss, Ruto. The 57-year-old served as a first-time Member of Parliament for Mathira Constituency in Nyeri County between 2017 and 2022. He previously held different public service positions, including District Officer and the Assistant Secretary in the Ministry of Home Affairs. He also served as the Personal Assistant to ex-president Uhuru Kenyatta, when he was the Minister for Local Government between 2001 and 2002. While settling on Gachagua as his deputy in July, William Ruto said the then-Mathira MP's grassroots mobilisation skills and understanding of Kenyans' challenges made him a perfect fit for the role. Gachagua holds a Bachelor of Arts Degree in Political Science and Literature from the University of Nairobi. He graduated in 1988. A tough talker, well-moneyed, and great campaigner, it would be interesting to see how Gachagua's tenure as deputy president pans out. In his speech on Tuesday, shortly after his swearing-in, he said it would be difficult to fit in the shoes of William Ruto, whom he described as a hard-working deputy president under Uhuru Kenyatta's reign. Davis Chirchir He's described as an IT expert par excellence. The 61-year-old sprang to the public limelight in 2013, when Uhuru Kenyatta appointed him as the Cabinet Secretary (CS) for Energy and Petroleum. In March 2015, President Kenyatta suspended Davis Chirchir and three other Cabinet Secretaries after an EACC report recommended their suspension to pave way for investigations into alleged impropriety. The other three were Felix Koskei (Agriculture), Michael Kamau (Transport) and Kazungu Kambi (Labour). There is speculation that Chirchir was Ruto's pick for the Energy CS position, when Kenyatta and Ruto had allegedly struck a deal to share Cabinet slots on a half-to-half basis. Chirchir holds a Master of Business Administration Degree from the Royal Holloway University in London, the United Kingdom. He also holds a Bachelor of Science Degree in Computer Science and Physics from the University of Nairobi. He previously worked in several mid-level positions at the Kenya Posta before rising up the ranks in the corporate department. By the time of his exit from the Kenya Posta, he was the general manager in charge of technical services. He, thereafter, joined Telkom Kenya. In 2009, he was appointed as a commissioner of the Interim Independent Electoral Commission (IIEC), the interim polls body at the time after scrapping of the Samuel Kivuitu-led commission that had been accused of bungling the 2007 presidential election. In March 2022, Ruto appointed Chirchir to the position of Chief of Staff at the Office of the Deputy President. This was occasioned by the death of then-office holder, Ken Osinde. Will Ruto elevate Chirchir to the position of Chief of Staff at the Office of the President? Only time will tell. The two enjoy a cordial relationship that dates back to 2012, when Ruto was assembling his political party, the United Republican Party (URP) after an acrimonious exit from ODM. Ababu Namwamba Ababu Namwamba, 46, served as Budalangi Member of Parliament (MP) between 2007 and 2017. Between 2013 and 2017 he fell out with the ODM leadership and defected, supporting President Kenyatta's re-election bid in the 2017 polls. In 2018, Namwamba pledged to support Ruto's 2022 presidential bid. Namwamba holds a Master of International Law Degree from the American University and a Bachelor of Law Degree from the University of Nairobi. Between 2008 and 2013, when he was the parliamentary secretary of ODM Party, he served as the Minister for Sports and Youth Affairs. Former President Uhuru Kenyatta appointed him the Chief Administrative Secretary (CAS) at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs on January 26, 2018. In February 2022, he resigned from the post to serve as Ruto's diaspora chief campaigns officer. There are reports that he is angling for the Foreign Affairs Cabinet Secretary (CS) post in President Ruto's government. Ruto, in his maiden speech as President on Tuesday, said he'll form a Ministry of Diaspora Welfare. Should Namwamba miss out on the Foreign Affairs post, he could secure landing in the newly-created diaspora ministry. Korir Sing'oei The fourth person pictured with Ruto during the Tuesday signing of the Executive Order on the Appointment of Judges was Korir Sing'oei. Sing'oei, until Tuesday, served as the Legal Advisor at the Executive Office of the Deputy President, where he was also the Head of Law and Policy. Sing'oei is an advocate of the High Court of Kenya. He holds a Master of International Law and Economics Degree from the University of Minnesota in USA. He also holds a second Master's Degree in Comparative Human Rights Systems from the University of Pretoria, South Africa. He pursued an undergraduate Degree in Law from the University of Nairobi, where he graduated in 1998. He's also a holder of a Diploma in Legal Practice from the Kenya School of Law. He's served as a Senior Conflict Management and Rule of Law specialist at the United States Agency for International Development (USAID). Besides that, between 2002 and 2006, he was the Executive Director of the Center for Minority Rights Development. Sing'oei has also had a stint as Law lecturer at the Kenyatta University in Nairobi.

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