William Ruto should bring on board people with good track records

President William Ruto chats with Machakos governor Wavinya Ndeti during the Interdenominational prayer service at Kenyatta Stadium, Machakos County. [PCS]

President Ruto is under intense pressure to deliver the goodies he promised in his then impressive - The PLAN - but let's be honest, he's getting overwhelmed and needs a helping hand.

The helping hand can only come his way if he acknowledges the pressure to pay civil servants, improve the economy, clear debts, put in order the new education system, create jobs and also reach a compromise with the opposition demands. I feel that in moments of a crisis or trouble, trauma or even strife, it is not easy to get instant fixes to the challenges and one needs help to navigate through.

It's on this basis that I am urging the president to integrate his administration with a few technocrats who served under Mwai Kibaki and Uhuru Kenyatta. It would be to his benefit if he brings on board the likes of Fred Matiangi, Mutahi Kagwe, Oduor Otieno, Mukhisa Kituyi and Billow Kerrow.

These technocrats have proven records. Matiangi performed exemplary well in all dockets he was assigned since 2013. Key among them was curbing cheating in national examinations and making acquisition of birth certificates to deserving Kenyans easy.

Matiangi can help the Ruto administration realise the CBC system of education. Our university education's source of funds is another major problem that Matiangi, with a clear mandate, can help get solutions to in collaboration with the institutions' administration.

Kagwe, who hit the airwaves in the thick of the Covid-19 pandemic, excelled in campaigns that saved many Kenyans. The zeal with which he undertook his responsibilities ended up revolutionalising the health sector and made him a hero among Kenyans. If brought on board with the responsibility of taking charge of public health, with focus on sanitation in our institutions and public health and nutrition campaigns, the country can easily eradicate outbreaks of infectious diseases like it has happened in some schools.

Dr. Kituyi starred as trade minister and was later picked to head an international body. His expertise both locally and globally remains admirable and if absorbed into the Kenya Kwanza administration, he has a contribution to make in seeking means to improve our economy. Oduol Otieno did exemplary well alongside other technocrats when he came to power and helped turn the economy around.

The technocrats helped the kibaki administration improve service delivery and engineered the economic recovery. While it's the president's prerogative to form his government, there is no harm in blending his administration with yesteryear's proven performers. Reaching out to those who didn't support his presidential bid in 2022 should not be seen as a sign of surrender to his opponent.

Mr Omanga is a media practitioner [e-mail]