Ruto Handshake Government Nominates Raila’s Sniffer Boys To Cabinet
The opposition now appears to be in limbo after President William Ruto nominated four members to his Cabinet on Wednesday as part of his broad-based government strategy.
In the second batch of CS nominees, Nominated MP John Mbadi will take over the Treasury ministry, Ugunja MP James Opiyo Wandayi will take over the Energy portfolio, former Mombasa Governor Ali Hassan Joho will lead the Mining and Blue Economy ministry, and former Kakamega Governor Wycliffe Oparanya will head the Ministry of Cooperatives and MSMEs Development.
President Ruto’s announcement has thrown the opposition into disarray, despite previous statements that they are not desperate to join the Kenya Kwanza administration.
President Ruto has nominated 10 new cabinet secretaries that include; 1. John Mbadi – National Treasury & Economic planning 2. Salim Mvurya – Investment, Trade & Industry 3. Rebecca Miano – Tourism & Wildlife 4. James Opiyo Wandayi – Energy & Petroleum#AfricasNowPolitics pic.twitter.com/hcpkemqNAf
— AfricasNow (@AfricasNow24) July 24, 2024
Only 24 hours before, Orange Democratic Movement (ODM) Secretary General Edwin Sifuna cautioned his members against making themselves available for Cabinet appointments.
“Any ODM member who makes themselves available to join the Kenya Kwanza Cabinet or any other position should know that they do so without the blessing or support of the party,” Sifuna said.
In his statement, Sifuna reiterated that the party was not in talks with the government about forming a coalition or reaching a political agreement, adding to the confusion surrounding the opposition’s plans to work with the government.
Last week, several opposition Azimio la Umoja One Kenya coalition principals stated that they had no intention of joining the government, describing it as a betrayal of the Kenyan people.
Wiper’s Kalonzo Musyoka led the other parties, which included Jubilee, Democratic Action Party (DAP) Kenya, NARC Kenya, and the Party of National Unity.
On the other hand, during the most recent Parliamentary Group (PG) meeting, the ODM party indicated its willingness to work with the current administration by endorsing calls for dialogue to help the country get out of its current crisis.
Furthermore, ODM National Chairman Mbadi accused his coalition members of being dishonest rather than finding ways to save the country’s future.
“We cannot follow Kalonzo because we do not know where he is going. I am not persuaded that Kalonzo is taking us anywhere,” Mbadi said over the weekend.
“This country must talk. Our partners in Azimio are dishonest. We have children and we have a country to save for them.”
Joho also reiterated that the Raila Odinga-led ODM would choose the best option for the party.
“We must identify what works for us as ODM. We are the bigger party in Azimio and we cannot be bullied,” he noted.
Raila, who initiated the dialogue with the government, also stated that President Ruto’s resignation would have dire consequences.
“It’s at times of crisis like this that a country needs to talk,” Raila said during the recent ODM PG meeting.
“We are not doing it to save Ruto. We are doing it to save Kenya. Generals don’t have teargas. They don’t have water cannons. They have bullets.”
Ruto Handshake Government Nominates Raila’s Sniffer Boys To Cabinet
