President William Ruto expected to name his nominee for the position of Cabinet Secretary for Interior, which fell vacant after DP Kithure Kindiki was nominated as the second in command.
Below are some of the politicians whose names might be nominated by the Head of State to fill up the vacant position.
Mutahi Kagwe
The return of the former Cabinet Secretary in Uhuru’s Cabinet seems to be more imminent than before with elders from the Kikuyu Community having gathered on Friday, November 22, in Nyeri and unanimously expressed support for former Health Cabinet Secretary Mutahi Kagwe’s inclusion in President William Ruto’s government.
Noting the absence of a Cabinet minister from the region, the elders emphasised the importance of representation of Nyeri in the Kenya Kwanza administration and urged Kagwe to accept a proposed Cabinet position in the government.
The elders asked Ruto to consider Kagwe for the CS position in the Ministry of Interior. However, sources indicate that should he make a comeback, then maybe he could likely be on a different docket.
Junet Mohammed
Following the inclusion of key allies from the Opposition into the broad-based government, Junet was one of the senior figures at Orange Democratic Movement(ODM) who were left out of the Cabinet appointments and was awarded a Parliamentary role of the leader of the minority instead.
However, key figures within the ODM party are reportedly pushing behind the scenes to have an Interior CS from the Luo Nyanza.
Kimani Ichung’wah
The Interior Ministry is one of the senior ministerial dockets in the country. The President will definitely be looking at awarding the role to at least one of his most trusted allies. The holder of the office has unfettered access to the President round the clock and sits in the powerful National Security Council which superintends over the country’s security matters.
Ichung’wah is considered one of the closest allies of President Ruto, a trust that earned him a position as the leader of the Majority in the National Assembly.
The lawmaker, however, disputed the links to the position of the CS in the Interior docket insisting that he was solely focused on his job in the National Assembly.
Raymond Omolo
Omolo currently serves as the Principal Secretary in the Ministry of Interior and many have been taunting him to be among the possible nominees who could make it to the President’s list of preferred candidates over from Kindiki.
Proponents of the PS view him as an experienced option and is already running the docket, having served since 2022. He is assisting Musalia Mudavadi who is holding the CS office in an acting capacity.
The broad-based government approach might also likely play to his advantage as the President seems to be keen on onboarding more leaders from Raila Odinga’s political home turf into the government.
Kanini Kega
Kega is one of the least expected nominees to feature in the list even though sources indicate that he is also being rumoured to be among those in the list for a possible stint at the Harambee-based office.
Analysts report however that in ensuring regional balance, the President could consider a nominee from his Nyeri home turf, with Rigathi Gachagua having been shoved out of the Cabinet and Presidency.
Joseph Boinett
Boinnet currently holds the position of Deputy National Security Advisor in the Office of the President, serving as a senior security advisor. His extensive experience in Kenya’s security landscape likely makes him a strong candidate for consideration. His name has been floated around in the security circles.
He is a former Inspector General of the National Police Service of the Republic of Kenya, having served between 2015 and 2019. Before his appointment, he served in the Kenyan National Intelligence Service(NIS).
