President Kenyatta to Fire at Least Four Cabinet Secretaries in Major Reshuffle

President Kenyatta is reportedly set to announce a major reshuffle in his Cabinet in a move that will see a number of Cabinet and Principal Secretaries sent home.

The Sunday Standard reports that CSs and PSs whose ministries have been linked to corruption scandals will be shown the exit door.

The move is part of President Kenyatta's crackdown on runaway corruption that has rocked several government departments in the past few months, threatening to taint his legacy. Sources said the President is likely to name Opposition leader Raila Odinga’s allies during the reshuffle following their March 9th handshake.

In his speech during the 55th Madaraka Day celebrations on Friday, the Head of State announced there will be fresh vetting of senior state officials, with those who fail the vetting being sent packing.

“Those who fail the vetting will stand suspended. I expect this exercise to be concluded before the start of the new financial year. You will hear of other tougher actions in the days to come,” President Kenyatta said.

The Standard says that at least four Cabinet Secretaries and several Principal Secretaries could lose their jobs during the changes. Contacted for a comment on the imminent Cabinet reshuffle, State House Spokesperson Manoah Esipisu said, “We do not respond to speculation, neither do we second guess the President."

Last week, President Uhuru fired Kenya Revenue Authority (KRA) board and named former Head of Civil Service Francis Muthaura as its Chairman alongside four other members. 

“He gets daily intelligence that includes cases of corruption. He will soon act on them,” said the State House insider.

On Wednesday, a seemingly angry Uhuru warned of tough consequences for state officials linked to corruption. “There will be no mercy for the thieves. Their days are numbered,” Uhuru said while he issued 50,000 title deeds to Eastlands residents at Jacaranda Grounds in Embakasi.

In his first term, President Uhuru kicked out five Cabinet Secretaries including Charity Ngilu (Lands), Felix Koskei (Agriculture), Michael Kamau (Infrastructure), Kazungu Kambi (Labour) and Davis Chirchir (Energy) over corruption in their dockets.

On Friday, Kenyatta hailed last week's arrest of senior state officials including Youth Affairs PS Lillian Mbogo and NYS boss Richard Ndubai over their link to Sh9 billion at National Youth Service. He said more arrests are on the line 

“I am glad that arrests of senior officials have been made. There are more on the way. I want officials, particularly senior ones, implicated in corruption to have no place in my administration and for them to go to jail,” Uhuru said.