Why re-assigning Interior CS was strategic move by President

Since the President made an Executive order on additional roles for Cabinet Secretary for Interior and Coordination of National Government, a lot has been said on its ramifications. Quite notable has been the political impact of the move on Deputy President William Ruto.

However, it was a smart move by the President due to a number of reasons. First, it has given the President a free hand in monitoring the implementation of Government projects devoid of the attachments of the 2022 succession debate.

It ought to be borne in mind that the forays, which were made by Ruto prior to the Executive order in many parts of the country in the name of launching of Government projects were causing a lot of political jitters since the issue of the 2022 election could not be wished away from the public's mind.

It therefore required an approach that would paint a government that is not seen as dishing out ‘goodies’ to its citizens with a keen eye on the next election.

Given that President Uhuru Kenyatta is not a contender in the next election as per the current Constitution, he is keen on securing his legacy unlike his deputy who is an interested party in the succession race.

Secondly, the manner in which the projects were being launched smacked of confusion since quite a number of them have failed to pick or have not been completed since their launch.

The Government needed therefore to take stock of its projects and see how they could be carried out to successful completion. This required some order to be infused into the whole process and this was done by the President re-assigning Interior CS Fred Matiang’i.

Another point is that it is bound to increase effectiveness and efficiency. Projects are usually done within specific timelines and budgetary allocations and thus require prudent monitoring and evaluation systems.

People have been reading too much into the President’s move yet what he did was not anything new except that the 2010 Constitution does not envisage the position of a chief minister or prime minister for that matter who has the express role of chairing such an expansive Cabinet sub-committee. In addition, it was courteous and diplomatic of the President to have reined in on his deputy without doing it openly.

The DP had gone too far in his quest for the presidency in 2022 which had the potential of derailing the implementation of the Government’s ‘Big Four Agenda. The constant bickering by politicians touching on the 2022 succession debate did not augur well for the unity of the nation, bearing in mind the tumultuous election period in Kenya barely two years ago.

This could only be achieved by delinking the 2022 succession debate and the implementation of Government projects.