Left in the cold? Fate of fired CSs Murkomen, Linturi, Owalo, Nakhumicha in limbo as first 11 named

A new-look Cabinet unveiled by President William Ruto on Friday now seemingly implies that there are some old faces now relegated to the shadows.

After President Ruto threw out his entire Cabinet last week, except for Prime CS Musalia Mudavadi, some have since been recycled, making their way back as nominees.

Others, it appears, will not be making a comeback as President Ruto has new names in mind for the dockets they previously held.

This is despite spirited attempts by way of polls and protests, orchestrated, to see them reinstated as Cabinet Secretaries.

Will they make a return when President Ruto releases the full list of Cabinet nominees or are they now several steps removed from the centre of power?

From the partial list announced by President Ruto on Friday, those whose fates remain in limbo include Susan Nakhumicha who previously sat at the helm of the Health docket, and who has been replaced by Dr. Debra Mlongo Barasa.

Ezekiel Machogu, the former Education CS, has been replaced by his former running mate in the 2022 Kisii gubernatorial election, Julius Migos Ogamba.

Former Agriculture CS Mithika Linturi was replaced by Dr. Andrew Mwihia Karanja, while  Zachariah Mwangi Njeru was replaced by Eric Muriithi Muuga in the Ministry of Water, Sanitation and Irrigation.

In the Ministry of Roads and Transport, Kipchumba Murkomen was replaced by Davis Chirchir, with whom he served in the Cabinet and who has been moved from the Ministry of Energy.

Eliud Owalo, former CS of Information, Communication and the Digital Economy, has been replaced by Margaret Nyambura Ndung’u.

But with only 10 of the possible 22 Cabinet slots still up for grabs, it is possible that they could be reintroduced into the Cabinet but under different portfolios as in Chirchir and Rebecca Miano’s cases.

And so their fates hang in the balance, but there are those on that list of six who could prove a liability. such as Mithika Linturi who faced impeachment for the sale of fake fertiliser to farmers through the subsidy programme.

Murkomen, who has been a close ally of the President, has also proved a polarising figure having been accused of contempt.