Will Uhuru men stabilise Kenya Kwanza's shaken political vehicle?

President William Ruto visits former President Uhuru Kenyatta at his Gatundu home on December 9,2024.The two leaders discussed issues of national interest.[File,Standard] When the trio of former Health Cabinet Secretary Mutahi Kagwe, former Kiambu Governor William Kabogo and former Nakuru Governor Lee Kinyanjui was endorsed by Parliament yesterday, it exposed grand plans to revamp President William Ruto's administration. For people considered political outliers for the last few years since their departure from office, they gave an outside-looking-in perspective of how to best address the ills afflicting the Kenya Kwanza administration. One by one, they detailed how they would engage technocrats, fight cartels, regulate social media space and leverage on new technologies to not only better Kenyans' lives but also politically win over the masses. With their nominations seen as a by-product of the Ichaweri meeting between former rivals, President William Ruto and his predecessor Uhuru Kenyatta, it was more of a show of resolve by the latter to 'rescue' a beleaguered administration. Mutahi was endorsed for the Agriculture and Livestock docket, Kabogo for the Information and Communication Technology (ICT) docket while Kinyanjui got the Investments, Trade and Industry docket. Their new terms come at a time the Ruto administration is struggling to steady the ship amid internal turmoil that threatens to sink it. Cabinet Secretaries are openly criticising the very government they serve while technocrats charged have seemingly downed their tools. Murmurs of discontent by insiders are also rife with talk of mass resignations ahead of 2027 elections. That, coupled with sustained criticism over some of its policies such as those in education, healthcare and housing sectors have compounded the government's woes. Insiders who spoke to The Standard, said leaders who will be seeking office in 2027 are keen on shedding off any affiliation to the now "unpopular" Kenya Kwanza administration - especially those from Mt Kenya, who feel aggrieved by the ouster of former Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua and those seeking political relevance post Ruto's presidency. Ongoing abductions The clearest indication that all is not well within government has been by the twin blow delivered by Public Service Cabinet Secretary Justin Muturi in a span of three days. His first salvo came on Sunday when he criticised government over the ongoing abductions. Muturi expressed displeasure at how the Ruto administration was handling abductions. "The cardinal duty of the State is; to protect lives and livelihoods of its citizens. The government cannot claim ignorance of such serious breaches of Kenyans' rights to live free from wrongful confinement," said Muturi. He added that his family had fallen victim to the abductions and had suffered personal trauma after his son was abducted during the youth-led anti-government protests in June last year. At the time, Muturi was the Attorney General. And in a double-down of his attack, Muturi on Tuesday made a damning revelation of how his son, Leslie Muturi, was allegedly abducted and released by National Intelligence Service (NIS) officers. In a statement to police, the CS gave a detailed account of how his son was kidnapped on June 22, 2024, by unknown people along Dennis Pritt Road. He narrated how his efforts to locate his son ultimately led him to State House where he prompted the Head of State to act. He narrated the ordeal to Ruto and expressed his disbelief that NIS was holding his son. "Standing outside the pavilion, I heard the President ask Haji if he was holding my son, Noordin confirmed, that indeed he was holding my son and the President instructed him to release Leslie immediately. Noordin responded that Leslie would be released within an hour," the CS added. He detailed that his son was later released and proceeded home. Peter Mbae, the Head of Government Delivery Service, also resigned citing frustration over unaddressed issues within his role. The president's communication team would however attribute Mbae's resignation to dissolution of the Government Delivery Unit in July 2024. And with a fall out apparent and elections just two years away, the bringing on board of the trio is seen as an umpteenth attempt by Ruto to bring on board leaders with solutions to his crises. But will Uhuru's men help stabilise a sinking ship? Kagwe said his plan to turn around fortunes of the current regime include transformation of the agriculture sector to make it "cool" for the youth, deployment of a robust communication system and eradicate graft within its ranks. "Agriculture has long been viewed narrowly, focusing only on production. To ensure the sector thrives, we must place farmers at the centre. It should be driven by profitability and innovation, making it exciting and attractive to young people-not dull or routine," he said. To sort out the controversy surrounding the livestock vaccination campaign by government, he promised to leverage on mainstream and social media to engage all stakeholders to "cure misinformation." Kabogo said he was more focused on a restitching the moral fabric of society - which he held had been torn by the youth. "We should be thinking about engaging the younger generation, the Gen Zs and millennials, on ethical use of the internet space. Because today they may be Gen Zs, but in a couple of years, they will be fathers, and the engagement should be such that if you put Kabogo in a coffin, as is the case now, but one time they will be fathers like me, how would they feel when their father is put in a coffin?" he posed. To protect local business like Safaricom, he proposed regulatory frameworks to ensure fair competition and consumer protection. Kinyanjui is intent on turning around the economy. His proposes making exports a national priority, particularly food products to the Middle East. This, he said, could be achieved by encouraging local investors, especially in cottage industries, to grow.

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