'Broadening political consensus,' Kindiki defends Ruto's new Cabinet nominations

Deputy President Prof Kithure Kindiki has defended President William Ruto’s new Cabinet nominations saying they are meant to benefit Kenyans and drive the nation forward.

Prof Kindiki who spoke during a round-table media briefing at his Karen residence on Thursday night remained vague on whether the Cabinet shake-up which saw some of the former Governors and a Cabinet Secretary from the Mount Kenya region make a comeback was aimed at re-courting the region.

Asked whether the appointment of former Health CS Mutahi Kagwe, ex-Governors Nderitu Muriithi (Laikipia),  Nakuru’s Lee Kinyanjui and William Kabogo was an aftermath of President Ruto’s recent meeting with his predecessor Uhuru Kenyatta, Kindiki maintained that his boss’s sole intention was to unite the country and drive the economy forward.

“The Cabinet appointments, dismissal and reassignments is the prerogative of one person - the President. The changes that have been made have been made in exercise of that prerogative and to advance our country’s national life in the weeks and months to come,” he said.

“The ministers and parastatal chairs who were elected, many of them were under President Uhuru Kenyatta; that is in the spirit of broadening political consensus so that we can focus not on political competition and the quest for political survival but on pulling the heavy agenda that we need to pull to transform Kenya and carry everybody forward.”

Citing the recent partnership between the president and former Prime Minister Raila Odinga which seemingly cooled down the political temperatures, Kindiki outrightly noted that the country needed to include ‘everyone’ from across the political inclinations in order to move forward amid the growing criticism of the Kenya Kwanza administration.

“I cannot directly associate them with the political developments but also I have no reason to dissociate them from any development because the president has made clear that for the country to pull and rally itself, there is a need for broader political consensus,” stated the DP.

“It started with the inclusion of the partnerships; some of the appointed ministers who were allies of Raila Odinga.”

DP Kindiki’s remarks come as Kenyans expressed mixed reactions to the Cabinet changes on Thursday with a majority of netizens terming them a harvest for Kenyatta, just 10 days after their meeting.

Kinyanjui, Kagwe and former Kiambu Governor William Kabogo were nominated as Trade, Agriculture and ICT CSs respectively while Ndiritu Muriithi, as the Chairperson of the Kenya Revenue Authority (KRA) Board.