Nandi County Senator Samson Cherargei on Wednesday, October 12, revealed President William Ruto’s plan to offer Chief Administrative Secretaries (CAS) jobs to the common mwananchi.
Cherargei, who spoke to Citizen TV anchor Jeff Koinange on JK Live, stated that the president intends to elevate the youth to the capacity of holding bigger positions and aiding him in securing his legacy.
“We want a few young people...the hustlers, mama mbogas, boda boda operators to be CASs so that they can have the capacity to become PS's and Cabinet Secretaries,” he stated.
"I believe we need CASs because they will assist in the running of the government," Cheragei added.
CAS represent their PSs and CS in any meeting as directed and provides liaison with the National Assembly and the Senate.
The comments by Senator Cheragei, however, came amid contestations from various quarters who opposed the creation of the CAS positions.
Critics argued that maintaining the positions created by former president, Uhuru Kenyatta's administration would bloat the wage bill and add extra pressure on taxpayers.
In addition, the move to reintroduce CAS positions was said to be an effort at massaging the egos of Ruto's allies who failed to win elective seats in the General Election.
"Why are we creating more jobs to reward politicians who have been rejected by the people?" Narok senator, Ledama Ole Kina, lamented.
On Wednesday, October 12, the Law Society of Kenya (LSK) obtained stay orders from the Employment and Labour Relations Court against the intention to introduce the CAS jobs.
Cheragei, however, argued that LSK's move was ill-advised and harboured sinister intentions since the PSC had called for public participation on the matter.
The senator asked the Attorney General to appeal against the stay orders.
In 2021, the High Court ruled that the positions were unconstitutional, citing a lack of public participation during their creation.
