Ruto gives first assignments to CSs Kagwe, Kabogo and Kinyanjui

In his speech, the president expressed confidence that Mutahi Kagwe (Agriculture), Lee Kinyanjui (Trade) and William Kabogo (ICT) have what it takes to transform their respective sectors. 

Ruto tasked CS Kagwe to find out the reason why a consignment of tea was stuck at Mombasa Port, hence potentially negatively impacting the economy. 

He also instructed him to persuade farmers to undertake the livestock vaccination drive that has elicited criticism in the past months.

Ruto's administration has been adamant that the plan will encourage farmers to align with international standards when providing meat and leather products for export to foreign markets. 

Critics have, however, opposed the move; claiming that the government has a sinister motive for the vaccination plan. 

In a surprising turn of events, Ruto agreed with CS Kagwe's stance that the plan would be voluntary. 

"You (Mutahi Kagwe) have what it takes to persuade farmers to take on the vaccination; you have done it before. It is however a voluntary exercise and no one will be forced to do anything," Ruto said. 

Further, he called on Kagwe to work with his trade counterpart to enhance agricultural exports. 

On the trade sector, the head of state instructed Kinyanjui to complete the construction of over 200 markets in Kenya, conclude the discussions on the bilateral agreement with the United States and finish the first phase of the Special Economic Zones. 

He was also tasked with taking advantage of the tripartite agreement between the Common Market for Eastern and Southern Africa (COMESA), the East African Community (EAC), and the Southern African Development Community (SADC).

The agreement, which came into effect in July last year, aims to promote trade ties between Eastern and Southern Africa. 

On the other hand, Kabogo was assigned to complete the connectivity plan to establish 100,000 Kilometres of fibre optic in Kenya.

Ruto noted that the State has Ksh.48 billion in funding for the rollout of the first 53,000 Km before the end of next year. 

The ICT CS will also oversee the establishment of 1,450 tech hubs in every ward. 

"The World Bank and government have provided resources for 145,000 computers. The Communications Authority is providing resources for the first 10,000 computers, World Bank will provide resources for the next 50,000 and the State will sort the rest," Ruto pointed out. 

Kabogo will also come up with a policy framework for the Business Process Outsourcing (BPO) sector to enhance job creation and improve the country's economy. 

"Teleperformance, the largest business processing outsourcing company, is setting up shop in Kenya. It will be a good place for you to work with them," he said. 

"They have told us that over the next five years, there should be between 300,000 and 500,000 jobs created under the ecosystem."

"We need to tie up the loose ends such as laws that don't recognise BPO as a sector. Between the BPO sector and all the other online workers, we should have at least 1 million working in the digital space."

He added that the upcoming Cabinet meeting on Tuesday, January 21, would discuss the draft Kenya cloud policy that seeks to prioritise the adoption of cloud-based technology. 

"I expect you to serve Kenyans with dedication, professionalism, and fairness. While we must be firm and effective, we should also approach it with compassion and patience particularly when engaging with the public," Ruto appealed to the CSs.