Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua has said that leaders from the Orange Democratic Movement (ODM) who were appointed to President William Ruto’s cabinet are now obligated to support his views and decisions.
Speaking in Mombasa on Thursday, September 5, 2024, during an induction workshop for the Kenya Tea Development Agency (KTDA) Holdings, Gachagua emphasized that those ODM leaders are now part of the government and must align with the administration’s agenda.
“Rais wetu William Ruto aliunda serikali ya kila mtu na hapa Pwani mkafaidika sana. Mkapata Waziri Salim Mvurya, Waziri Ali Hassan Joho sasa wale watu mlikuwa ODM mko ndani ya serikali sasa. Hii maneno nasema hapa muunge mkono. Hiyo ndiyo kazi ya kuwa kwa serikali. Ile tunasema hapa mnaunga mkono,” Gachagua said.
Adding
“We are happy that everybody is part of the government. The coast region now you are right in the centre of government, you can no longer complain of marginalization, you are part and parcel of government.”
Broad-based government
The coastal region, historically dominated by the opposition having most of its leaders from ODM, joined the government.
This comes after President William Ruto recently developed a close alliance with Raila Odinga’s Orange Democratic Movement (ODM) party.
Defending his move to form a broad-based government, Ruto has emphasized that this approach is aimed at fostering national unity.
As part of this partnership, Ruto appointed four ODM members to key positions within his cabinet, which was officially sworn in last month.
John Mbadi, the former chairman of ODM, was appointed as the Cabinet Secretary for the Ministry of National Treasury and Economic Planning. James Opiyo Wandayi, the former ODM Secretary of Political Affairs and previous National Assembly Minority Leader was approved to head the Ministry of Energy and Petroleum.
Hassan Joho, who previously served as the ODM Deputy Party Leader and Governor of Mombasa, was appointed to lead the Ministry of Mining, Blue Economy, and Maritime Affairs. Additionally, Wycliffe Oparanya, the former Governor of Kakamega, was approved to oversee the Ministry of Co-operatives and Micro, Small, and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs) Development.
