PHOTO | PPS President Kenyatta, his son Jomo and daughter Ngina in
prayer at St Austins Catholic Church, Nairobi on April 14, 2013. He is
expected to name the Cabinet this week.
NATION MEDIA GROUP
By EDITH FORTUNATE efortunate@ke.nationmedia.com
Posted Sunday, April 14 2013 at 23:30
Posted Sunday, April 14 2013 at 23:30
President Kenyatta and his deputy William Ruto are expected to announce the new Cabinet this week.
A brief statement from the Office of the President
, said the Ambassadors and High Commissioners have been given one week
to return home.
Head of Public Service Francis Kimemia, who
released the statement said recalling of the envoys was in line with
reforms and redefinition of Kenya’s foreign policy by the new
government.
“The charge de affairs/deputy Ambassadors or High
Commissioners will look after the affairs of the foreign stations, until
further notice.” Mr Kimemia said.
A list of Cabinet secretaries was ready by last
week with a few adjustments being done over the weekend awaiting the
major announcement expected on Wednesday.
It will be followed by a list of principal
secretaries, heads of parastatals and a number of diplomats to represent
Kenya globally.
In crafting the Cabinet, President Kenyatta and Mr
Ruto considered geographical representation that is meant to take care
of regional balancing while giving opportunity to Kenyans from all over
the country.
The new Cabinet will take shape in two weeks on
the maximum after being named. The parliamentary vetting and report
preparing process takes about this amount of time.
Principal secretaries will follow after they have been interviewed by the Public Service Commission.
The names will be forwarded to parliamentary
committees in charge of vetting and tabled on the floor of the House for
clearance before they are sent to the President for proper appointment.
Among the hurdles that have hindered the quick
naming of the Cabinet is the collapsing of the 42 ministries that formed
the Grand Coalition Government, to form the constitutional threshold of
between 14 and 22 ministries.
As at Saturday evening, sources indicated that the
two had settled on 18 ministries and new faces which they have remained
tight-lipped about.
New talent
Retaining some of the best performing principal
secretaries is one of the considerations the two principals have been
tackling while making sure they employ fresh faces who are efficient in
their work to ensure not only a robust economy but service delivery to
all.
“Some permanent secretaries will have to go home;
others will be absorbed in the new dispensation. The challenges the
principals are facing is who goes where and how do we incorporate new
faces for service delivery and efficiency in the digital government,”
said a source privy to the week long State House meeting.
Mr Kenyatta and Mr Ruto are said to have agreed on
a new structure which represents a departure from the old system used
since independence in which the President determined the number and type
of ministries that would constitute his government.
Meanwhile, the National Assembly is expected to
vote unanimously while endorsing or rejecting the names of expected
Cabinet members, deputy Speaker Joyce Laboso has said.
Additional report by Oliver Musembi
Ministries likely to be merged
- National Security and Provincial Administration/Defence
- Agriculture/Livestock/Fisheries/Cooperatives/Water and Irrigation.
- Home Affairs/Immigration and Registration of Persons/National Heritage and Culture/Special Programmes/Regional Development Authorities/Development of Northern Kenya and other Arid Lands.
- Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports/Gender, Children and Social Development.
- Local Government/Nairobi Metropolitan
- Finance/Planning and National Vision 2030
- Medical Services/Public Health and Sanitation
- Education/Higher Education, Science and Technology
- Roads/Public Works/Transport
- Foreign Affairs/East African Community
- Lands/Housing
- Tourism/Forestry and Wildlife
- Energy/Environment and Mineral Resources
- Trade/Industrialisation
- Public Service/Labour Information and Communications
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