Deputy President William Ruto will badly suffer as a result of Mwangi Kiunjuri's exit from the cabinet, political analyst Dan Mugo has said.
President Uhuru Kenyatta on Tuesday kicked out Kiunjuri, who was being seen as a close ally of the DP, replacing him with Peter Munya in the Agriculture docket.
Mr Mugo, a former don at Laikipia University, says that the move has injured the DP, who was banking on Kiunjuri's help in propelling his presidential ambitions in the Mt Kenya region.
He observes that the same goes to the former Laikipia East MP, whose political muscles could shrink to some extent now that he is no longer holding the powerful position.
“Kiunjuri has been injured politically and because he was one of the people the DP was relying on to propel his political agenda in Laikipia and Central Kenya at large, he (Ruto) has also been injured," Mr Mugo told the People Daily on Friday.
On the elevation of former Nyeri senator Mutahi Kagwe through the Health docket, the analyst observed that Uhuru is keen on bringing on board people that can help him suppress the pro-Ruto wave in Nyeri and Mt Kenya.
He says that the move was also aimed at bringing in people with political clout and at the same time tame rebellion within the cabinet.
"The President is elevating his backers, who have a political clout as the DP people continue becoming irrelevant,” he added.
Kiunjuri's sacking came at a time when he was being seen to get even bolder in defying the president's directives, including on the push for constitutional amendments.