Outgoing Labour Cabinet Secretary (CS) Simon Kiprono Chelugui found it hard to come up with answers why President William Ruto retained him in his Cabinet.

Chelugui appeared before the National Assembly’s Appointments Committee on Saturday, October 22, 2022, for vetting as CS nominee for Cooperatives and Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises Development.

During the vetting, Saboti Member of Parliament (MP) Caleb Amisi asked Chelugui to explain why he is the only CS in retired President Uhuru Kenyatta’s Cabinet to be retained by Ruto.

“Mr Speaker you clearly referred to the nominee as the designated survivor which I agree. In the movie Designated Survivor, there is this gentleman called Tom Kirkman, his real name is Kiefer Sutherland. When an explosion occurred all the government officials died except one person. The question is which is this tragedy that befell your administration and why you? How did you survive? Where did you hide? Which is this dungeon that you hid in? That you are the only one who survived. Can you explain to Kenyans how you survived?” Amisi asked.

Always one survivor

The Cooperatives CS nominee however didn’t come up with the exact reason why Ruto retained him. He said that in his community during times of war the attackers always spare one person.

He further asked the Speaker Moses Wetangula to rein in Saboti MP Caleb Amisi not to ask him more questions about why Ruto got rid of all CSs appointed by Uhuru except him.

“Chair where I come from in the times of war when you strike and hit a place you don’t kill everybody, you let one survive but when that one who survived comes you don’t show it to the public you hide. So I am hiding here chair I would request the member not to ask the question because I am still hiding,” Chelugui said.

Chelugui previously served as CS for Water, Sanitation, and Irrigation between 2017 and 2021 before he was moved to the Ministry of Labour in October 2021.

He is a politician and a close ally of President Ruto.

Chelugui vied for Baringo Governor in 2013 and Baringo Senator in 2017 but lost in the two elections.