President William Ruto has expanded the responsibilities of Prime Cabinet Secretary Musalia Mudavadi and Cabinet Secretaries Aden Duale and Salim Mvurya in the latest round of Cabinet changes.
In the new appointments, Mudavadi, who also serves as the Cabinet Secretary for Foreign and Diaspora Affairs, will act as the Cabinet Secretary for Information, Communications, and the Digital Economy.
Duale, the current Cabinet Secretary for Environment, Climate Change, and Forestry, will now also take on the role of acting Cabinet Secretary for Agriculture and Livestock Development.
Salim Mvurya, recently reassigned to the Ministry of Youth Affairs, Creative Economy, and Sports, will continue in an acting capacity at the Ministry of Investments, Trade, and Industry, having served in the Ministry of Trade for just four months.
The three Cabinet Secretaries will hold these acting positions until the nominees for the respective ministries are vetted and confirmed by the National Assembly.
Explaining the reshuffle, Chief of Staff Felix Koskei emphasized that the changes were essential to maintain the continuity of government operations following the Cabinet reshuffle implemented by the President before Christmas.
“Following the changes effected within Cabinet on December 19, 2024, and as the Cabinet Secretary nominees undergo the necessary parliamentary approval process, His Excellency the President has appointed acting Cabinet Secretaries to oversee the vacant ministerial portfolios,” Koskei stated.
The notice further stated, “In accordance with Article 152(5)(a) of the Constitution, the President has assigned the vacant ministerial positions to the following Cabinet Secretaries in an acting capacity.”
The reshuffle follows the President’s nomination of Margaret Nyambura Ndung’u and Andrew Karanja to diplomatic roles. Nyambura has been nominated as High Commissioner to Ghana, while Karanja is nominated as Ambassador to Brazil. Previously, Nyambura served as the Cabinet Secretary for ICT, and Karanja as the Cabinet Secretary for Agriculture. Their roles have now been filled by William Kabogo and Mutahi Kagwe, pending vetting by the National Assembly.
This reshuffle is part of broader efforts by President Ruto to strengthen his administration’s service delivery. The recent appointments include former President Uhuru Kenyatta’s allies, such as Mutahi Kagwe (Agriculture and Livestock Development), William Kabogo (Information, Communications, and the Digital Economy), and Lee Kinyanjui (Investments, Trade, and Industry). These nominations came after a meeting between Presidents Ruto and Kenyatta at Ichaweri.
The new Cabinet nominees will undergo vetting by the Committee on Appointments on January 14, 2025. Kagwe will appear before the committee at 12:00 p.m., followed by Kabogo at 3:00 p.m., and Kinyanjui at 5:00 p.m.
The three nominees, who are aligned with former President Uhuru Kenyatta, are seen as a result of the ‘Ichaweri Summit,’ where Ruto and Uhuru discussed co-opting the former’s allies into the administration to create a broad-based government. This move follows the inclusion of leaders allied with Raila Odinga after the July-August Gen Z protests, which led to the formation of a unity government. President Ruto defended this strategy, citing it as a positive step towards fostering national unity.
