President William Ruto is under pressure to fire at least six Cabinet Secretaries a year since he reshuffled his cabinet.
Ruto sacked all Cabinet Secretaries (CSs) and former Attorney General Justin Muturi after dissolving his Cabinet in July 2024.
The President later incorporated even more opposition figures into his cabinet, a move seen as an attempt to solidify his hold on power amid increasing criticism of his administration.
He gave four posts to the late former Prime Minister Raila Odinga’s allies — including the powerful Finance and Energy ministries.
Ruto said the decision was influenced by his pledge to form a broad-based government after weeks of protests against the former Cabinet Secretaries.
In December 2024, President Ruto appointed Mutahi Kagwe, who served as Health Minister under former President Uhuru Kenyatta’s administration, to head the Agriculture Ministry.
He also appointed former governors Lee Kinyanjui and William Kabogo to the Trade and Communication ministries, respectively, both close allies of Kenyatta.
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Pressure on Ruto to Fire 6 Cabinet Secretaries Over Incompetence
Senior Counsel Ahmednasir Abdullahi, while taking to his official social media platform X, has questioned the effectiveness of several Cabinet Secretaries in Ruto’s government, describing some of them as “low key” and possibly incompetent.
Ahmednasir claims that many Kenyans feel some ministries have been effectively vacant over the past three years, with CSs spending their days reading newspapers, having tea, making personal calls, and then leaving the office.
The lawyer is calling for substantive appointments, particularly in critical ministries such as Environment, Gender, Labour, Water, East Africa Community, and Agriculture.
“I’m not being spiteful…I’m honestly asking…do we have “substantive” CSs in the ministries of Environment, Gender, Labor, Water, East Africa Community, Agriculture…And why isn’t H.E Ruto not making real appointments to run these critical ministries?” He posed.
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The post elicited mixed reactions, with a section of Kenyans expressing disappointment while others defended it.
@jnrlebronjames claimed that President Ruto can’t make real appointments because he rewards loyalty. “That’s what is ailing his government. I am even surprised that we have CS for Gender. Does the occupant of the office say anything about gender related issues?”
On his part, @Voice_Roy stated that appointing incompetent CSs is not a mistake but by design. “A quiet ministry is just a closed loop for tenders. If the man at the top is just drinking tea and making calls, it means the brokers below him are running the real system without interference,” he said.
@iamkiprop questioned if competence is measured by being vocal. “What is the measure of performance? Being loud and being on camera, social media, and TV all the time? Just because someone is not loud and not visible does not mean they are not performing.”
On his part, @idriafruca_kenya said,” Some Cabinet Secretaries are not in control of their Ministries. They are frustrated by technical officers. Official mails don’t reach their desks; their secretaries make sure. Even when they delegate action to technical officers, the tasks are ignored & disregarded.”
@IthewaChelsea chimed in, “The problem is not the cabinet secretaries being inactive. It’s because we have a mongrel of a government led by a clueless politician whose ‘best before date’ has since passed. Wantam is now a reality. Wamejua hawajui
Ruto Picking and Reshuffling Cabinet
In the first batch of his nominations, Ruto picked Deborah Mulongo Baraza as the CS for Health to replace Susan Nakhumicha, while Alice Wahome remained in her former position as the CS for Lands, Public Works, Housing, and Urban Development.
Julius Ogamba, the running mate of the former CS Ezekiel Machogu in the 2022 Kisii gubernatorial elections, was proposed as the Education CS, while Andrew Muhia Karanja, the former CS for Agriculture, took over the role of Mithika Linturi. The seat is now held by Mutahi Kagwe, following Karanja’s appointment as an ambassador.
Soipan Tuya was re-nominated to the Ministry of Environment, Climate Change and Forestry, while the former Energy CS, Davis Chirchir, was nominated to the Roads and Transport docket.
Ruto reappointed former Defense CS Aden Duale and Interior CS, now Deputy President, Kithure Kindiki, to their Respective Ministries.
Former CS for the Ministry of Investment, Trade, and Industry, Rabecca Miano, was nominated as the Attorney General to replace Justin Muturi, but turned down the role later to be appointed as Tourism and Wildlife CS.
The role was held by Alfred Mutua, who was moved to the labour ministry.
Sports Minister Kipchumba Murkomen, a trusted ally of Ruto, was moved to the powerful position of interior minister in the mini-reshuffle that saw two ministers sacked.
In March 2025, Ruto appointed Aden Duale as the new Cabinet Secretary for Health, just months after he assumed leadership of the Environment, Climate Change, and Forestry Ministry, a role he swapped with Defense CS Soipan Tuya.
In a corresponding move, Deborah Barasa was moved to head the Environment, Climate Change, and Forestry docket, taking over from Duale.
President William Ruto picked Eric Muriithi Muuga to replace Zachariah Njeru for the position of Water, Sanitation, and Irrigation CS.
