President William Ruto
Hours before President William Ruto announced a Cabinet reshuffle, a delegation of leaders from Western Kenya convened at State House to reinforce their region's standing within the Kenya Kwanza administration.
The meeting, held Wednesday morning, focused on preserving the position of National Assembly Speaker Moses Wetang’ula amid challenges from the opposition Orange Democratic Movement (ODM), as well as ensuring the Luhya community’s continued prominence in government. The closed-door discussions, attended by Prime Cabinet Secretary Musalia Mudavadi, Speaker Wetang’ula, Cabinet Secretaries Wycliffe Oparanya and Deborah Barasa, and governors from Kakamega, Bungoma, and Busia counties, centred on solidifying political alliances and advancing regional development initiatives.
Kakamega Senator Bonnie Khalwale directly questioned President Ruto regarding the security of Wetang’ula’s speakership following a recent court ruling that designated Azimio MPs as the majority in the National Assembly.
President Ruto responded by reaffirming his support for Wetang’ula, dismissing rumours of a leadership change in Parliament and urging the leaders to disregard unsubstantiated online speculation. He emphasized his commitment to a broad-based government and reiterated his administration's focus on development, particularly the completion of stalled infrastructure projects in the Western region.
“The meeting was very productive because we got to get a verbal assurance from the President that we are firmly in government. About the speaker’s seat, the President confirmed that it was not going to be taken away from Wetang’ula and that he would remain the speaker even as he(Ruto) continues to entrench his broad-based agenda,” said an MP who was in attendance of the meeting.
While observers initially speculated that the meeting was intended to appease Western Kenya leaders ahead of the Cabinet changes, sources indicate that the reshuffle was not a topic of discussion during the State House gathering. Following the meeting, CS Barasa was reassigned from the Health Ministry to the Environment and Forestry docket.
The exclusion of several key Western region figures known for their criticism of the government from the meeting has sparked mixed reactions. Trans Nzoia Governor George Natembeya and other vocal leaders have voiced scepticism regarding the meeting's productivity and questioned its tangible outcomes for the region.
“The assurance came by way of Kakamega Senator Bonnie Khalwale who confronted the President head on and bluntly put the question to him whether we leaders from the region should brace for the seat being given to ODM party. At some point, he appeared to have gone overboard with his demand prompting the President to remind him that whereas he (Khalwale) is older, Ruto was still the President and he should calm down,” the MP added.