Public Service Cabinet Secretary Justin Muturi’s defiance has handed President William Ruto yet another dilemma with the options available having significant political consequences for the president.
Ruto has the options of sacking the defiant CS, ignoring him and hoping he resigns sooner rather than later or retaining him as a lame duck in his cabinet that is under pressure to deliver with voters running out of patience with unfulfilled promises.
Each of these options has significant consequences for a sitting president who from all indications, could be eyeing a second term and who is staring at the possible loss of a significant political support base in Mount Kenya.
Timing of CS Muturi's defiance
Muturi’s defiance has come at a bad time for the President whose former deputy was impeached a few months ago, leading to political hostility in Mount Kenya where a ruthless Rigathi Gachagua is leading a sustained onslaught.
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The timing is however good for the Head of State’s opponents who are watching from the sidelines and milking the development to their advantage while also waiting to cash in on the President’s reaction to Muturi’s defiance.
Pundits hold that sacking Muturi at this time could add fuel to the growing opposition to the president in Mount Kenya which only recently saw its leading political figure Rigathi Gachagua hounded out of office and replaced with Deputy President Kithure Kindiki.
With no known performance issues other than speaking up against abductions calling the president to reign in on the same, CS Muturi’s crime remains to be seen.
Emerging as the lone voice from Cabinet, openly critical of the government, and his boss, President William Ruto, Muturi maintains that his actions are in order as he cannot keep silent simply because he is a CS when the country is heading in the wrong direction following the rise in abductions.
It also comes at a time when the ‘Kindiki effect’ in terms of consolidating support in the vote-rich Mount Kenya region and building a significant support base that could vote to Ruto’s advantage is yet to have bear any results.
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Possible consequences of available options
Marshaling his troops to go the impeachment way and have CS Muturi sent home will most likely have the same consequences as Gachagua’s impeachment that lit a political fire in Mount Kenya region.
The option of allowing Muturi to continue sitting in the cabinet as a lame duck comes with the consequences of exposing his administration as a divided one, being eaten by the cancer of dissent from within.
What the president's men want
Even as the president considers his options, Muturi has come under a barrage of attacks from Ruto’s allies who now want him to resign.
Environment Cabinet Secretary Aden Duale, Senate Leader of Majority Aaron Cheruyiot and his National Assembly counterpart Kimani Ichung'wah have all piled pressure on Muturi to resign.
“So, I really want to tell our colleagues, and we must respect, and if you are very unhappy and you are a CS, the best thing for you to do is to resign. It is not fair for you to engage in a very unhealthy, inappropriate altercation with your appointing authority, the president,” Duale remarked.
Muturi ruled out resigning, asserting that his actions of criticizing the president and calling for an end to abductions are in order.