Tetu MP Geoffrey Wandeto has likened President William Ruto's move to increase the number of his advisors to forming a parallel Cabinet.
Speaking during an interview with Citizen TV on Tuesday, May 6, the legislator said the high number of advisors surrounding him may mean President Ruto lacks confidence in his Cabinet.
"If you look at the number of advisors and their roles, you can easily conclude that this is a parallel Cabinet. As things stand now, we have technically two Cabinets - the official Cabinet and now the advisors," Wandeto said.
"This says two things: the President does not trust his Cabinet ministers, and is probably looking for a fallback position. Secondly, the President seems to know more than his principal secretaries and Cabinet secretaries. This points to a lack of trust, or he wants to run the show alone," he said.
The lawmaker warned that the increased number of presidential advisors is burdening the already overtaxed Kenyans.
Wandeto, who termed the situation a 'sad affair', said that the parliament should take action and amend the Constitution to limit the number of advisors a president can have.
"This is a very sad state of affairs, and it is coming at a huge cost to the country. I think as the parliament, we should also limit the number of advisors, the same way we limit the number of ministers the country may have," he stated.
The increasing number of presidential advisors in recent months has triggered condemnation from leaders and Kenyans alike.
So far, the number of advisors in the last 10 months has increased from seven to 14 despite the president pledging to slash the number by half, a pledge he made in July last year.
In his latest appointment, Ruto, in a statement on Wednesday, April 30, selected Prof Makau Mutua, a close ally of former Prime Minister Raila Odinga, as the Senior Advisor of Constitutional Affairs in the Executive Office of the President.
Days earlier, on Tuesday, April 22, the President appointed the son of Siaya Senator Oburu Oginga, Jaoko Oburu Odinga, as Special Advisor, Economic Empowerment, and Sustainable Livelihoods in the President's Executive Office.
Other presidential advisors are Prof Abdi Guliye, Dominic Menjo, Nancy Laiboni, Henry Kinyua, Steven Otieno, David Ndii, Augustine Cheruiyot, Moses Kuria, Mohamed Hassan, Prof Adams Oloo, Joe Ager, Dr Silverstone Okumu, Prof Edward Kisiangani, Harriete Chiggai, and Kennedy Ogeto.
