Nyeri Governor Mutahi Kahiga has called upon President William Ruto to maintain the eight cabinet positions from Mt Kenya in the upcoming appointments.

Speaking during a media interview with Kameme FM on Tuesday, July 16, 2024, Kahiga emphasized the importance of acknowledging the region’s support while highlighting Mt Kenya’s pivotal role in Ruto’s past success.

“I want to remind the president that Mt Kenya gave him at least 3.5 million votes in the last elections and we had eight seats with Mt Kenya representatives…from the likes of Justin Muturi, Alice Wahome, Moses Kuria and the rest. Ruto needs to understand that all those seats that were held by Mt Kenya representatives were done through an agreement they had with his Deputy Rigathi  Gachagua,” Kahiga remarked.

Kahiga cautioned Ruto against haphazard selections, stressing the significance of appointing individuals who are committed to delivering results rather than merely benefiting from their positions.

Further, Kahiga underlined that those from other communities might not share the same dedication to Ruto’s vision unless they had demonstrated their support before his presidential victory.

“If he is listening to me, I want to remind Ruto that those seats belonged to us…and if he minds the people of  Mt Kenya he should listen. In my opinion, I would warn him that picking anyone from another region will be a start to his downfall.”

“I want to tell Ruto that bringing people from other regions will only provide a platform for them to come and dine and not help do the work… and I will remind him that if those other parties believed in him, they should have joined his team a long time ago,” Kahiga added.

Furthermore, Kahiga emphasized that the eight vacant seats previously held by Mt Kenya ministers should be allocated to individuals from the same region. For the remaining 14 positions, Kahiga proposed a reconsideration of candidates from diverse communities.

“I accept that we cannot force decisions on Ruto, however, all our eight seats should remain intact. This is a warning that if Ruto wants to assign other people from other regions to his cabinet he should consider from other 14 vacant positions but leave the eight intact for Mt Kenya,” Kahiga added.

Further, Governor Kahiga reminded Ruto that the representation from Mt Kenya was earned through hard work and should not be taken for granted. 

He concluded by urging Ruto to uphold the region’s contributions and ensure fair representation in the upcoming Cabinet appointments.

“If he decides to touch any of the eight seats then we will reconsider a few things, we shall count one seat after the other and for every missing seat, he should consider that as lost votes for whenever he needs our support. Ruto should remember that he did not give us these seats but we fought for them,” Kahiga noted.