President Uhuru Kenyatta and his deputy William Ruto announce Cabinet members at State House, Nairobi on April 23, 2013. [Photo: nation.co.ke]
President Uhuru Kenyatta must get a Cabinet that has the face of Kenya and one that balances between the technocrats and politicians.
According to Political analyst Martin Andati, the only technocrats who should be retained are those who have delivered. The rest, he says, should be sent home so that Kenyans can experience good governance that addresses corruption, tribalism and incompetence.
"President Uhuru Kenyatta will have to get rid of some of the Cabinet Secretaries whose performance is below the bar. They are deadwood and should go home. More than seven should go home. They have not served Kenyans well," Andati says on the Friday Star in an opinion piece.
He adds: "But others have performed well and they include Foreign Affairs CS Amina Mohamed and Water CS Eugene Wamalwa. They are the ones who are likely to remain."
He states that Uhuru will try to reach out to the regions that were excluded during his first term more so the opposition-leaning regions. This, he notes, Uhuru will achieve by expanding the Cabinet to have a maximum of 22 CSs so that he has enough space to accommodate the areas secluded in the first Cabinet.
"I also expect more politicians than technocrats in his new Cabinet. Some of the guys who lost in the election are likely to find their way to the Cabinet," he says.
Andati asserts that the new Cabinet will define his legacy and, therefore, must accommodate as many people as possible from across the country so as to unite the polarized country.