Another Cabinet Reshufling Announced

Prime Cabinet Secretary Musalia Mudavadi faced an initial setback in his dispute with Public Service Cabinet Secretary Moses Kuria as President William Ruto issued an Executive Order.

This order, which marks the second such move in a year, shifted the State Department for Performance and Delivery from the Office of the Prime Cabinet Secretary to the Ministry of Public Service.

This development follows a contentious situation involving Mudavadi’s communication head, Kibisu Kabatesi, and the Head of Civil Service and Secretary to the Cabinet, Felix Koskei. Their disagreement emerged when Koskei attempted to relocate the Prime Cabinet Secretary’s office from Railways to the old Treasury Building in Nairobi.

However, it’s worth noting that Mr. Koskei went a step further by transferring the State Department for Performance and Delivery from Mudavadi to Kuria’s jurisdiction.

In response to this, Kabatesi expressed in no uncertain terms that the assignment of portfolios is solely the President’s authority and cannot be taken over by a civil servant.

“What this means is that until and unless Executive Order No.1 of January 2023 is vacated by President William Ruto with another Executive Order, the status quo remains.

Any public servant purporting to allocate Ministerial locations or portfolios is misguided to the extent that they are attempting to usurp a function that belongs to the President,” he said.

As part of the recent reorganization, Mudavadi will now oversee three State Departments. Additionally, he will also be responsible for supervising the Ministry of Labour and Social Protection, as well as the National Treasury.

“In collaboration with the Ministry of Labour and Social Protection, he will lead in the implementation of the national labour migration policy as a key pillar of Kenya’s foreign policy,” the executive order read in part.