new trend is gathering steam in the echelons of politics and government as more individuals get presidential appointments and turn them down.

Some of those who have declined President William Ruto’s appointments to government positions so far are seasoned politicians, known for their fiery rhetoric and unwavering ambition to thrive in the public arena.

While such appointments are seen as a reward to friends and loyalists, some of the appointees have lately turned them down, citing personal reasons, although there seems to be more than meets the eye.

This is seen as an acid test for Ruto whose development agenda seems to be increasingly at variance with his pre-election pledges, causing a nosedive of his popularity ahead of the next General Elections.

Those who have declined Ruto’s state job offers in recent months include former Information and Communication Technology (ICT) Cabinet Secretary (CS) Margaret Ndung’u and Orange Democratic Movement (ODM) party treasurer Timothy Bosire.

Ndung’u who fell from the Cabinet when Ruto dissolved it had been nominated to Ghana as High Commissioner, while Bosire was to be the next non-executive chairman of the National Transport and Safety Authority (NTSA).

Act of protest

Former Nairobi Senator Millicent Omanga and former West Mugirango legislator Vincent Kemosi had also at different times turned down jobs offered to them by Ruto.

Also, the Law Society of Kenya (LSK) President Faith Odhiambo rejected Ruto’s appointment as a member of an independent task force to audit Kenya’s debt.

Omanga was appointed by Defence CS Soipan Tuya as member of Board of Directors of Kenya Shipyards, while Kemosi was to be Kenya’s Ambassador to Ghana.

The two were Ruto’s foot soldiers in Nyamira and Nairobi respectively during the 2022 presidential campaigns.

Although Bosire, a close ally of ODM leader Raila Odinga acknowledged and appreciated Ruto’s gesture, he publicly declined it; further denting the President’s fast fading popularity in the Gusii region. “After consultations with a section of leadership, my family and friends, I have reached a conclusion that I have to decline this appointment.”

The former Kitutu Masaba legislator and Nyamira gubernatorial contestant became the fourth high profile politician to turn down Ruto’s offer.

Bosire’s decision to turn down the appointment elicited mixed reactions particularly from Gusii region, and was seen as an act of protest against Ruto and Odinga.

Supporters of Bosire, who captured the headlines for endlessly blowing the whistle during former President Uhuru Kenyatta’s appearance in Parliament, were expecting him to secure a Cabinet slot in the broad-based government.

At present, the Gusii community (Nyamira and Kisii counties) is represented by Education CS Julius Ogamba in the Cabinet and there is discontent that Odinga should have rewarded Bosire who has been his foremost and longtime ally and point man in the region.

Act of protest

In Nyamira, Bosire who is preparing to try his luck in the gubernatorial race come 2027 was under pressure from his supporters to reject the appointment.

“That appointment should go to government bloggers and not senior and experienced politicians like Bosire,” said Evans Agasa, a Nyamira resident stated.

To some, it appears that Ruto is caught between a rock and a hard place as he has to find slots to fix his allies and Odinga’s.

Although Bosire’s message was directed to Ruto as the appointing authority, it was also perceived as a protest to Odinga as his party boss who is in a new found friendship with the President.

Critics argue that the community has over the years supported Odinga and he should have reciprocated by pushing for Bosire’s appointment into Cabinet. (see story on page 6)

Politician Bosco Gichana who supported Ruto in the last General Elections after he parted ways with Odinga, was more blunt.

“Kisii is gone. The mood is not favouring your soldiers. Boss, you are naked this time,” Gichana addressed Ruto in a Facebook post.

When Kemosi refused to take a High Commission job in Ghana, citing personal reasons, it was observed that he had declined the offer because it demeaned his stature as a young and ambitious politician.

He had lost the West Mugirango parliamentary seat after one term and sources indicated that he is interested to recapture it in the next General Elections.

“Kemosi supported Ruto when the mood on the ground was against him and ended up losing. He deserved a better reward,” says Denis Nyaundi, a Nyamira resident.

Nyaundi said by dispatching Kemosi to Accra, the President was literally taking him away from his political base for unknown reasons.

Months after Kemosi’s move, Ndung’u, who was Ruto’s next pick to the same portfolio refused to honour an invitation to appear before a Parliamentary vetting committee saying she could “not appear because of personal and compelling family matters.”

Act of protest

For Omanga, luck struck a second time last week after she got appointed to the Board of Directors of Kenya Shipyards. She had previously declined appointment by Ruto to the Nairobi Rivers Commission, stating, “After careful consideration, I must respectfully decline the appointment due to personal reasons.”

On her part, LSK’s Odhiambo later said in an interview that her appointment to be a member of an independent task force to audit the country’s debt contravened the law and there was no constitutional provision for such a task force. “The auditing task force would lead to a duplicate role performed by other government agencies and further lead to wastage of public funds.”

Wiberforce Otieno, who is a political analyst in Nairobi agrees that some politicians may have declined the appointments since they feel that they worked hard for Ruto during the campaigns and deserved better positions. “Probably some fear the President’s style of leadership and would not want to be micro-managed,” Otieno told People Daily.

He said some feel that Ruto has lost public trust and they do not want to be drawn in the mud with him. “The broad-based government arrangement is too political and may jeopardise one’s professionalism,” Otieno said.