President William Ruto is a man under pressure to fill the critical Interior Cabinet Secretary slot after Kithure Kindiki’s promotion to Deputy President.
While the Head of State has been pressured to appoint a person from the Mt Kenya region, there is a mounting demand by the Orange Democratic Movement (ODM) for the same position.
Among the names that have been fronted for the position include former CS Mutahi Kagwe who served as a health minister during Uhuru Kenyatta’s regime.
Kagwe’s potential appointment has reportedly received the backing of Kikuyu elders who during a recent meeting in Nyeri commended the former CS for his leadership abilities.
Other candidates whose names have been preferred to replace Kindiki include Sports CS Kipchumba Murkomen who is one of Ruto’s ardent allies.
Prime CS Musalia Mudavadi and his Transport counterpart Davis Chirchir have also been tipped to take over the post with Environment CS Aden Duale also seen as a potential candidate.
Ruto’s move to appoint any of the above candidates would mean a minor cabinet reshuffle that could similarly address the gender CS position which has been vacant for the past five months.
Meanwhile, there are reports that a section of ODM party leaders are planning to front Suna East Member of Parliament Junet Mohamed's name for the Interior CS position.
Juent’s potential appointment to the Interior CS slot could see the opposition party add its representation within the broad-based government to five, including positions in Energy, Treasury, Mining, and Cooperatives.
The latest development comes a month after President Ruto appointed Mudavadi as the acting Interior CS days after Kindiki's swearing-in ceremony.
Amidst the speculation, National Assembly Majority Leader Kimani Ichung'wah came out to dismiss reports that he was eyeing the same position.
In a statement on October 22, Ichung'wah emphasised that he was content with his current position and was not eying any position within Ruto’s cabinet.
