Cleophas Malala, during an interview with the press, said that President William Ruto is set to use precedents set by former President Uhuru Kenyatta to invite him to Cabinet.
While naming his Cabinet in 2018, Uhuru appointed former Jubilee Sec Gen Raphael Tuju as Cabinet Secretary without portfolio, to handle party matters in the Cabinet.
Malala, however, acknowledged that presently, the 22 Cabinet Secretary positions are all filled.
“It will be my singular duty to ensure that we monitor the execution and implementation of our manifesto by the people who have been appointed to the Executive.
“I shall be sitting in the Cabinet to make a follow-up on the decisions made, but not as a Cabinet Secretary. Constitutionally, the country already has 22 Cabinet Secretaries but I can be co-opted into the Cabinet,” he told Nation.
In 2020, former President Kenyatta set another precedence by co-opting former Nairobi Metropolitan Services boss General Mohammed Badi to the Cabinet.
Malala said one of his roles as the UDA secretary general is to ensure the priorities of the country’s top policy decision organ with those of the Kenya Kwanza Coalition manifesto.
The former Kakamega Senator said the party will monitor and evaluate the progress made in delivering on President Ruto’s campaign promises.
“We shall be getting polls from our members on which Cabinet Secretary is working hard and which one they think is doing little.
“We shall be briefing the President on the performance of Cabinet Secretaries, chief executive officers of state corporations, parastatals and even in the National Assembly and Senate,” he explained.
Leadership Changes in UDA
In the changes made on Monday February 27, Malala took over as Secretary-General replacing nominated Senator Veronica Maina.
Malala was recently shortlisted for the position of Chief Administrative Secretary and was set to be interviewed by the Public Service Commission.
Embu Governor Cecily Mbarire took over as Chairperson, replacing Johnson Muthama who resigned to serve as a member of the Parliamentary Service Commission.
The East African Legislative Assembly (EALA) MP Hassan Omar was picked as the UDA Vice-Chairperson.
Japheth Nyakundi and Vincent Munyaka were nominated as Treasurer and Organizing Secretary respectively.