President Ruto responds to being called a micromanager

President William Ruto has responded to a section of Kenyans who have called him controlling and labelled his administrative style as micromanagement.

This is in the wake of last week’s Cabinet Secretaries (CSs), Principal Secretaries (PSs) and parastatal heads’ performance contract signing event at State House, Nairobi, which saw the Head of State lock two members of his Cabinet out for lateness and demand a written explanation.

But while some have hailed him for being punctual and direct, some of those who have worked under him and his critics alike have said his leadership style puts some of those under him on the edge.

In a Sunday interview with Inooro TV, Ruto said the reason he is very particular about how he wants those under him to work is because he is interested in seeing them succeed.

He said he has had a good working relationship with members of his Cabinet in the ten months he has been in office.

“I have had a very good working relationship with my cabinet secretaries so far. We are in harmony and have been meeting to ensure they succeed. Some have labelled me a micromanager or being very hands-on. But the reason I am very particular is that when a PS or CS fails, I have failed too,” the president said.

“The work they are doing is the responsibility Kenyans gave me. I have an interest in making sure every minister or PS succeeds; their success is my success and it is the success of Kenya.”

Among those who have criticised Ruto’s leadership style is former Charangany Member of Parliament Kipruto arap Kirwa, who Wednesday said the Head of State spends alot of time micromanaging a department “such that ministers are in perpetual fear."

Kirwa, a former Vice Chairperson of Ruto’s UDA Party, said in a panel discussion on K24 that a majority of CSs in Ruto's government are politicians who will need to be re-engineered to become performers. 

"When you are under perpetual fear, you're not likely to make the right decision because he appointed a team of politicians," he told the TV station. 

At Tuesday’s performance contract signing event, an angry President Ruto said he cannot condone tardiness from leaders who have been mandated to serve Kenyans.

Citizen Digital has since established that Kithure Kindiki of the Interior Ministry and his Trade counterpart Moses Kuria were not in attendance.

"I don't know whether it is this performance contracts that have been going on for 20 years that many people maybe mistakenly think that it is a ritual and that is why people resort to the old incompetent excuses that there was traffic for them not to be in the most important public function," President Ruto said at the event.

"We have a job because we have a contract, if you cannot keep time with your employer, you have basically dismissed yourself, it is just as simple as that."

The signing of performance contracts is among the measures President Ruto is enforcing in his quest to run a transparent and accountable government.

Other measures include his proposal to amend Standing Orders to ensure that ministers can be summoned to Parliament and be grilled on their performance on the floor of the House.