President William Ruto has advised new Cabinet Secretaries and Principal Secretaries to focus on service delivery to Kenyans and not the sideshows that usually come with high office.
The President urged them to concentrate on delivering on the mandate in their respective ministries and State departments and not to be swayed by any distractions.
Presiding over the swearing in ceremony of two CSs and 14 PSs at State House, Nairobi, on Thursday, the President said: “There is too much noise out there, but you must keep your eye on the ball. Do not be distracted.”
The new Cabinet Secretaries are Mr Geoffrey Ruku (Public Service) and Mrs Hanna Wendot Cheptumo (Gender).
The Principal Secretaries are Mr Boniface Barasa Makokha (Economic Planning), Ms Carren Ageng’o Achieng (Children Welfare Services), Mr Aden Abdi Millah (Shipping and Maritime Affairs), Mr Fikirini Jacobs (Youth and Sports), Mr Michael Lenasalon (Devolution), and Cyrell Odede Wagunda (Public Investments).
Others are Ms Regina Okoth Omban (Trade), Dr Jane Kare Imbunya (Public Service), Mr Stephen Isaboke (Broadcasting), Prof Shaukat Ali Abdulrazak (Science, Research, and Innovation), Ms Judith Pareno (Constitutional Affairs), Mr Ahmed Abdisalan Ibrahim (National Government Coordination), Dr Fredrick Ouma Oluga (Medical Services), and Dr Caroline Wanjiru Karugu (East African Community).
Present were Deputy President Kithure Kindiki, Cabinet Secretaries, Principal Secretaries, and other leaders.
President Ruto said the new appointees reflect the broad-based government, which has brought the face of Kenya together to contribute to nation building.
“It is the coming together of the willing, not to serve the parochial interests of few leaders, but the greater good of Kenya,” he said.
The President said the many transformative programmes he has initiated since coming to office in 2022 require the support of all citizens.
“I have made the conscious decision to implement decisions that need to move Kenya forward irrespective of the price to be paid,” he said.
Over the years, the President pointed out, opposing political formations have had the same transformative programmes in their manifestos, but lack of political will to implement them has seen them die on paper.
He pointed out that the ruling Kenya Kwanza and its 2022 General Election rival, Azimio La Umoja led by former Prime Minister Raila Odinga, proposed the Affordable Housing Programme in their manifestos.
By implementing the programme after coming to office, President Ruto said 240,000 housing units are under construction countrywide, creating hundreds of thousands of jobs for the youth.
“It is possible that this will be the largest infrastructure development project Kenya has ever undertaken,” he said.
Similarly, he said Universal Health Coverage rolled out through Social Health Authority would make healthcare accessible to many more Kenyans than during the National Hospital Insurance Fund.
On education, he said the government has sorted out the issues plaguing the Competency-Based Curriculum and employed 76,000 new teachers in just two years.
On agriculture, he pointed out that the government has dealt with cartels in the fertiliser distribution chain, and those who had long unjustly benefited from exploiting tea, coffee, and milk farmers.
President Ruto said the government is in the final stages of reforming the sugar sector, which would assure farmers of higher prices and also earn them a bonus.
On infrastructure, he said: “We have begun settling long-overdue payments to contractors. We recently released KSh60 billion and the contractors are returning to site. This will revive stalled road projects countrywide.”
The President called on the new members of the Executive to serve with diligence and honour, and to shun corruption.
He announced that he had referred the Conflict of Interest Bill back to Parliament for reconsideration.
“We have to get a piece of law that will help us manage, and eventually, eliminate matters of corruption,” he said.
Further, he reminded the new CSs and PSs that they were taking office at a time of high public expectations, adding that failure is not an option.
“Our only valid response to criticism and demands is to perform our duties in a manner that increases public confidence in the government,” he said.