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Anglican Church of Kenya (ACK) Nambale Diocese Bishop Isaiah Obuya has called on Members of Parliament (MPs) to reject six Cabinet Secretaries (CSs) from President William Ruto’s recently dissolved cabinet.

President Ruto recently dissolved his entire cabinet, sparing only Prime Cabinet Secretary and Foreign Affairs CS Musalia Mudavadi.

President Ruto move

On Friday, July 19, 2024, Ruto began the process of forming a new, broad-based cabinet by nominating the first batch of 11 candidates.

The President retained six of his initial 22 cabinet secretaries and introduced five new nominees for consideration and approval by the National Assembly.

The returning nominees from the previous cabinet include Kithure Kindiki (Interior and National Administration), Aden Duale (Defence), Alice Wahome (Lands, Public Works, Urban Development and Housing), Soipan Tuya (Environment, Climate Change and Forestry), and Davis Chirchir (Roads and Transport). Rebecca Miano is nominated for Attorney-General, previously serving as the Investment, Trade, and Industrialization CS.

The new faces nominated to the cabinet are Dr. Debra Mulongo Barasa (Health), Julius Migosi Ogamba (Education), Andrew Mwihia Karanja (Agriculture and Livestock Development), Eric Muriithi Muuga (Water, Sanitation and Irrigation), and Margaret Nyambura Ndung’u (Information, Communication and Digital Economy).

Bishop Obuya has urged MPs involved in the vetting process to avoid clearing the six returning cabinet secretaries to avoid agitating the youth.

“Their names will be presented to Parliament for vetting. I ask the MPs who will be part of the vetting process not to reappoint those who were in the previous cabinet because it greatly angers Generation Z. We know that Gen Z is unhappy, and we are also unhappy.

“When they sit in Parliament for the vetting, I urge them not to reappoint those from the old cabinet because we want peace,” he told the press.

Vetting

The vetting of Ruto’s nominated cabinet secretaries and consideration of the 2024/2025 supplementary budget estimates are key priorities for lawmakers when they resume House sittings on Tuesday.

The supplementary budget proposes cuts for various ministries, departments, and agencies.

Lawmakers are returning after a three-week break prompted by the storming of Parliament by a group of young people following the passage of the controversial 2024 Finance Bill, which has since been withdrawn.

MPs’ return on Tuesday coincides with planned anti-government protests, with organizers vowing to shut down Nairobi.