Ruto: I Defied Raila to Appoint Mbadi as Treasury CS

President William Ruto has revealed that he overruled opposition leader Raila Odinga during negotiations to form the broad-based government in 2024 in order to appoint John Mbadi as Cabinet Secretary for the National Treasury.

Speaking at State House in Nairobi during the presentation of a report on reparations for victims of human rights violations, Ruto said Odinga opposed the idea of assigning the Treasury portfolio to a leader from Luo Nyanza. The President said he insisted on the appointment, arguing that the region deserved representation in one of the country's most influential ministries.

“I told him, ‘My brother, if there is one place I will defy you, it is in appointing a person from Luo Nyanza to be the first Cabinet Secretary for Finance,’” Ruto said. 

His decision led to the appointment of John Mbadi, then ODM National Chairman, to head the National Treasury. Ruto said the move was intended to challenge long-standing perceptions about which communities could hold key economic positions.

He argued that some groups had been excluded from senior government roles because of ethnic profiling, which he described as unfair and harmful to national cohesion. The President compared the decision with his appointment of General Francis Ogolla as Chief of the Kenya Defence Forces in 2023. He said both appointments were aimed at addressing the belief that certain senior positions were reserved for specific communities.

“It was to correct the negative profiling that some positions are reserved for certain people,” Ruto said. 

He added that such practices amounted to injustice and stigmatised entire communities. The remarks provide further insight into the negotiations that led to the formation of the broad-based government. The arrangement emerged after a period of political unrest and youth-led protests that placed significant pressure on the Kenya Kwanza administration and prompted cooperation between political rivals.

Ruto's account suggests that discussions over appointments involved disagreements about representation in government. His decision to appoint Mbadi reflected an effort to broaden participation in senior state offices and challenge established political expectations.

The President also said the broad-based government was shaped not only by compromise but by decisions intended to promote greater inclusion across different communities.