Former nominated MP and renowned educationist Wilson Sossion has sensationally claimed that leadership skills supersede possessing relevant academic credentials for a cabinet position.

He made the claim during a live television interview on Thursday, March 27, 2025, while reacting to the recent cabinet changes by President William Ruto.

Sossion sought to explain the rationale behind the move to swap roles between Aden Duale and the immediate former Health CS Deborah Mulongo.

Sossion maintained leadership, and the ability to coordinate are important qualities for any CS.

“Anybody can be a minister. You don’t need academic or specific qualifications in that particular field to be a minister. The minister is the policy leader in the ministry, and therefore anybody with any training background can be a minister, provided you can provide leadership,” Sossion stated.

In his assertion, the former nominated MP says individuals can leverage the knowledge of professionals within their ministerial departments.

Following Wednesday changes, Duale is set to oversee his third CS role in the current administration, having initially served as the Cabinet Secretary for Defence.

“It is not necessarily that the minister for education must be a teacher or the health minister must have a background in the health sector. Below the minister, there are technocrats like PS, directors, and the rest. Every ministry is rich with relevant technical technocrats, so a minister doesn’t necessarily need to have a specific qualification in that docket,” he contended.

His remarks come after he complimented two of Ruto’s new entrants to the cabinet, Geoffrey Ruku and Hannah Wendot.

In an interview, Sossion primed the pair to boost the Kenya Kwanza administration’s capacity to deliver service to its citizens.

“ I have to congratulate Ruku for his appointment to the cabinet. He is a grounded leader and focused. He is a man who really understands the policy of the Kenya Kwanza administration and why it must be implemented. I congratulate him,” Sossion said.

Service delivery

“I also congratulate Hannah Cheptumo, a lawyer of many years standing, a very experienced lawyer going in to man the Ministry of Gender and Culture. Of course, the entry of these two strong people in the cabinet answers the question of making the cabinet stronger and leadership at the ministries to be executed more effectively so that services are delivered to Kenya,” he added.