Mudavadi ‘deeply honoured and humbled’ after Cabinet reshuffle expands his role

Prime Cabinet Secretary Musalia Mudavadi has thanked President William Ruto after Wednesday’s Cabinet reshuffle that saw him double up as the Foreign Affairs minister.

President Ruto in an announcement late evening reorganized his Cabinet, in a move that saw various ministries merged and renamed.

As a result, the president expanded the Office of the Prime Cabinet Secretary to include the Ministry of Foreign and Diaspora Affairs, formerly led by Alfred Mutua.

Mudavadi on Thursday morning said he was humbled by the appointment and thanked the Head of State for the expanded role.

“I am deeply honoured and humbled to have been entrusted by His Excellency President @WilliamsRuto with an expanded role in the reshuffled Cabinet. I express my sincere gratitude to His Excellency for the trust placed in me by assigning me the additional vital role of the Ministry of Foreign and Diaspora Affairs,” Mudavadi wrote on X.

He pledged to champion Kenyans’ interests and serve with integrity.

“I am fully aware of the significance of my dual role, and I embrace the opportunity with a profound sense of duty and dedication. I pledge to continue serving the people of Kenya and our country with unwavering commitment, integrity, and diligence,” Mudavadi said.

“I will champion, pursue, and protect the interests of Kenyans, both within our borders and abroad.”

Following the Cabinet reshuffle, Dr Mutua was redeployed to the Ministry of Tourism and Wildlife.

Mudavadi’s assumption of the Foreign Affairs docket comes at a time when Kenya is preparing to send 1,000 troops to lead a peacekeeping mission to Haiti amid gang violence that has rocked the Caribbean country’s capital Port-au-Prince for over a year.

The United Nations Security Council on Monday approved the foreign security mission which has divided opinions locally even as President Ruto insists that the move is an affirmation of Pan-African commitment to the continent's unity together with the African Union's policy of solidarity with the African Diaspora.

The government’s move has been criticised by local leaders and security experts alike, who argue that Kenyan police will have communication challenges as the main languages used in the Caribbean country are French and Haitian Creole.

Some have also said that Haitian police are severely outgunned by the gangs and that the mission poses a great risk to Kenyan troops, while others have pointed out the need to tackle insecurity locally first.

Dr Mutua previously said the Kenyan officers are set to hit the ground in Port-au-Prince “in the coming months”, without specifying when.

The United States, Bahamas, Jamaica, Antigua and Barbuda are some of the other countries that have pledged to help the mission.