President William Ruto on Tuesday chaired his first cabinet meeting at State House, Nairobi in a meeting attended by all Cabinet Secretaries of the previous administration.

There was some palpable tension and weirdness in the cabinet meeting, especially for CSs who had openly campaigned for Azimio la Umoja presidential candidate Raila Odinga in the August 9, General Election.


Among the President Uhuru Kenyatta administration CSs present was Interior “Super CS” Dr Fred Matiang’i, who had taken over some of key function of then Deputy President Ruto, Peter Munya of Agriculture, ICT’s Joe Mucheru, Devolution’s Eugene Wamalwa and Keriako Tobiko of the Environment docket.

PHOTO/STATE HOUSE

The five were in the frontline in the campaigns for Raila, who was the preferred successor of President Kenyatta, who himself chaired the Azimio La Umoja One Kenya Coalition Council.


Munya, who skipped DP Rigathi Gachagua’s flagging off of the distribution of subsidized fertilizer to the counties last week, can be seen in photos shared by State House sitting pensively in the meeting.


The crucial cabinet meeting chaired by Dr Ruto, which started with a word of prayer, comes only a day after he flagged off the distribution of relief food to 23 counties adversely affected the ravaging drought ongoing.


This also comes as Kenya’s security forces grapple with renewed banditry attacks in Turkana and West Pokot Counties, with a recent attack in Turkana East leaving 11 people dead.


President Ruto is expected to name his newly reconstituted cabinet soon, with many quarters already criticising his new administration for dragging its feet in announcing the new cabinet that will help him implement the Kenya Kwanza pledges and policies in his tenure.