President William Ruto expressed his displeasure on Tuesday, August 1, when several cabinet secretaries, principal secretaries, and parastatal heads arrived late to the performance contracts signing event at State House, Nairobi.
The Head of State directed that the ‘latecomers’ be barred from accessing the event.
President Ruto firmly dismissed the claim by some Cabinet Secretaries that they were held up in traffic jams. He emphasized that the performance contracts are not merely for show and he expects no excuses from any member of his Cabinet.
“For those who came late, who are members of the Executive, I will be expecting a written explanation from you. The claim of traffic delays does not add up. If you cannot keep time with your employer, you have basically dismissed yourself,” President Ruto told the tardy Cabinet Secretaries.
Furthermore, President Ruto was shocked to discover that some of his Cabinet Secretaries seemed poorly informed about their dockets, which he found embarrassing for the nation.
For those who came late, who are members of the Executive, I will be expecting a written explanation from you.”
President William Ruto, August 01, 2023
He questioned their commitment to their roles and responsibilities, stating, “People here do not want to read. If I know more than you about what is in your ministry, then you should not be part of this. Why are you a Cabinet Secretary if you don’t understand your job?”
Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua also expressed concern about the Cabinet members’ lack of punctuality. He also cited the excessive foreign travels by the cabinet members, disregarding presidential orders on travel.
Gachagua warned that some Cabinet Secretaries were taking undue advantage of their proximity to the Head of State. He warned them not to treat this proximity as a form of immunity.
“This is a sad day. I don’t understand why a Cabinet Secretary would arrive late for a function that is being presided over by the Head of State. What we have witnessed today must come to an end. It does not matter whether the President was your friend during political campaigns,” Deputy President Gachagua quipped.
Deputy President Gachagua also revealed that the President had been frustrated in the past when more than seven Cabinet Secretaries were absent from a Cabinet meeting.
Gachagua further urged the Cabinet members to be more prudent in their foreign travels. He asked them not to overburden the President with unnecessary absences.
“We cannot continue to honour every invitation to travel out of the country. You have yourselves to blame because you forced the President to place a cap on your foreign travels. Some Cabinet Secretaries even change clothes at the airport before immediately hopping on another flight to travel to another country. Ladies and Gentlemen, we can’t work like that,” Deputy President Gachagua cautioned.
