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President William Ruto failed to explain the need for his 50 Chief Administrative Secretaries (CAS) offering a frail explanation behind the positions.

The Head of State indicated that the positions were his decision as he needed more personnel to help him with governance.

“Mambo ya CAS ni mpango wangu wa serikali, it is my decision. Mimi naona ya kwamba kuna sababu ya wale CAS kuwepo kwa sababu ajenda niliyo nayo kusukuma Kenya hii. I need more hands and minds to run the government,” he stated during his appearance for joint media interview on Sunday, May 14, 2023.

The positions stirred controversy after the 50 CAS assumed office despite a court order barring them.

At the same time, they took oath of office without undergoing vetting by the National Assembly.

In a memorandum to the President, National Assembly Speaker Moses Wetangula noted that the need to vet the nominees was not anchored in the law, hence the Parliament’s decision to refrain from it.

“The obligation to respect, uphold and defend the Constitution enjoins the House to refrain from
assuming and discharging a role that it has not been expressly assigned by the Constitution or
written law. In that regard, the National Assembly is unable to vet the nominees in the absence
of an express constitutional or statutory requirement to do so,” the Speaker’s memorandum read in part.

As a result, Statehouse spokesperson Hussein Mohamed said the 50 appointees would assume their offices through oath.

“As a consequence of the referral by the Speaker of the National Assembly which has found that there is no constitutional or statutory basis upon which the August House can vet the nominees, the Head of State and Government has today 22nd March 2023 caused the appointment of the nominees to various Ministries as earlier notified,” Mohamed said.

“To facilitate the ascension of the Chief Administrative Secretaries to Office, the State Appointees are now scheduled to subscribe to their solemn Oath of Office.”