Lucas Barasa
12 October 2008
Nairobi — Members of Parliament want President Kibaki and Prime Minister Raila Odinga to name a competent and corruption-free Cabinet in the reshuffle expected soon.
A Cabinet minister and MPs from across the political divide on Sunday said the two leaders should take advantage of the filling of the positions left vacant by the deaths of former Roads minister Kipkalya Kones, Home Affairs assistant minister Lorna Laboso and the resignation of Finance minister Amos Kimunya to restructure the six-month old government.
The MPs included Cabinet minister Mutula Kilonzo (ODM-K), Mithika Linturi (Kanu), ODM's Adan Duale, Ababu Namwamba and Dr Julius Kones, and PNU's Mwangi Kiunjuri and Joseph Kiuna.
Mathira MP Ephraim Maina, however, said that President Kibaki should be left to decide the Cabinet without outside interference.
Mr Kiuna said only untainted people should be appointed to head various ministries.
"I don't see how one can go with a thief to church to tell worshippers not to steal," he said, saying ministers implicated in graft were giving the Government bad name.
Mr Kiuna said the Ministry of Special Programmes is among those that should be restructured and headed by people with plight of internally displaced persons at heart "just as the Ministry of Development of Northern Kenya and Arid Areas is headed by a person from the region."
"The Ministry of Special Programmes should be run by somebody from areas affected by tribal clashes since this is the main issue it is trying to address now," the MP, whose Molo constituency was adversely affected by post-election violence, said.
Mr Maina said that President Kibaki should be left to decide the Cabinet. "We trust in the Constitution. Let us wait for him to act within his wisdom and trust that he will take care of the interests of the nation," the Mathira MP said.
He said both President Kibaki and Mr Odinga had their mandate and that trying to influence their decisions will be interfering with their work.
Apart from firing non-performing and ministers implicated in corruption, some of the MPs said youth, region and gender representation should be taken into account in the reshuffle.
Changes in government have been expected since the conclusion of the Bomet and Sotik by-elections on September 25.
While campaigning for ODM, Mr Odinga, who is the party leader, promised that the Roads docket and assistant minister for Home Affairs position would be filled immediately after the polls.
No confidence
Mr Kimunya resigned after MPs passed a vote of no confidence in him over the sale of the prestigious Grand Regency Hotel to Libyan investors.
Speaking in France last week, Mr Odinga said Mr Kimunya might find his way back to the Cabinet if a commission led by retired judge Majid Cockar, which is investigating the hotel sale, clears him of any wrongdoing.
Public Works minister Chris Obure is currently handling the Roads docket in an acting capacity, while Environment minister John Michuki is also in-charge of Finance.
The looming Cabinet shake-up has sparked anxiety among a number of ministers following reports that under-performing and disloyal members of the Cabinet may be targeted for sacking or transfer as the two principals consolidate their leadership and seek to ensure better delivery of services to Kenyans.
Sources close to President Kibaki and Mr Odinga said the two were working on changes that would end bickering in government and lead to speedy implementation of reforms and projects aimed at improving Kenyans' lives.
Pressure is also on President Kibaki and Mr Odinga to use the opportunity to fill the vacant posts and to make changes in the civil service and foreign missions.
A number of MPs recently complained in Parliament over retention permanent secretaries who, they said, are past retirement age.
The contracts of some ambassadors and high commissioners appointed during President Kibaki's first term in office have also either expired or are about to.
On Sunday, Livestock assistant minister Adan Duale called on the appointing authorities to consider unity of the country and performance.
"Any minister who is not performing should be shown the door. If any restructuring is to be done, it should be based on performance.
It should not be pegged on loyalty. Kenyans must be given their share in terms of performance and better delivery of services," Mr Duale said.
The Dujis MP however said Mr Kones and Ms Laboso should be replaced by people from South Rift after consultation with the local leaders.
But Mr Kilonzo, the Nairobi Metropolitan Development minister, and Budalangi's Ababu Namwamba cautioned against the reshuffle being done to satisfy certain regions.
"We don't want the grand coalition to be a grand tribal coalition," Mr Kilonzo, the ODM-Kenya secretary general, said.
He said it was wrong for Meru and South Rift leaders, among others, to push for their people to be appointed to the Cabinet.
Mr Kilonzo said President Kibaki and Mr Odinga should abide by the Constitution and Grand Coalition requirements.
He said it was also time that new ambassadors and high commissioners were appointed. Mr Kilonzo however warned against politicising of the civil service.
Mr Namwamba said the Cabinet is "an instrument for state management, not a chessboard for ethnic roulette."
"We cannot have all ethnic groups in the Cabinet," Mr Namwamba said.
The vocal MP who is spearheading calls for the formation of Official Opposition in Parliament urged President Kibaki and Mr Odinga to use the chance of filling vacant ministerial positions to reduce the number of ministries to 20 or 22.
He said Kenya's economy cannot support the 42 member Cabinet and that tiny ministries like that of Fisheries and Forestry should be returned to their parent ministries.
The Ministry of Basic Education should also be merged with that of Higher Education, Medical Services with Public Health, Roads with Public Works.
"We should go for efficiency, cost effectiveness and performance. The cabinet is not a platform for ethnic balancing. You cannot satisfy everybody," Mr Namwamba said.
The MP said it was too early to judge the performance of ministers especially those who were serving for the first time.
Konoin MP Julius Kones said President Kibaki and Mr Odinga should not only use the reshuffle to fill the vacancies but also inject professionalism, regional, youth and gender balancing. He said the current Cabinet lacked youth representation.
Dr Kones added that non-performing ministers should be sacked.
Speaking from Mombasa, Igembe South MP Mithika Linturi said President Kibaki and Mr Odinga are to blame if some ministers were perceived to be under-performing in the eyes of Kenyans as they are the appointing authority.
Corrupt free
He said the two are supposed to ensure only competent and corrupt free MPs were appointed to head various ministries.
"Ministers named in corrupt deals should be removed since the President and the PM have been preaching zero tolerance to corruption.
Even members of civil service mentioned in graft usually step aside. It is sad that currently there are ministers with court cases while others have been cited in land grabbing," Mr Linturi said.
Mr Kiunjuri, an assistant minister for Water Development, said Kenyans should not expect any radical measures from President Kibaki.
"Those who will fill the vacant positions are expected to come from ODM to maintain harmony in the coalition as per the National Accord."
Mr Kiunjuri said the president will keep the old technocrats in the government saying it was unusual for him to make any radical changes.He said President Kibaki would can only be compelled to replace the old guard with youthful leaders thorough a new constitutional order.Additional reporting by John Njagi
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