Nairobi News

Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua has voiced his apprehension regarding the extravagant lifestyle and continuous international travels of some Cabinet Secretaries (CS) and Principal Secretaries.

He expressed that this trend has posed challenges in conducting crucial Cabinet Committee meetings.

Speaking during a performance contract signing event at State House on Tuesday, August 1, Deputy President Gachagua urged the Cabinet Secretaries to exercise discretion when accepting international invitations.

He emphasized that they should not feel obligated to attend every invitation they receive.

“There are some invites that you have to turn down. If the president was to honor all his invitations, then he would be out of this country the whole year,” Gachagua added.

“Unfortunately, some of the Cabinet Secretaries cannot regulate themselves. At one point, holding a cabinet committee meeting was impossible because more than five CSs were out of the country. Some even change their clothes at the airport as they travel from one country to another,” Deputy President Gachagua expressed his concerns.

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He urged the Cabinet Secretaries to carefully choose the events or functions they attend and leave the rest to the ambassadors. Gachagua encouraged them to prioritize their work in Kenya and be responsible for their international commitments.

During the same event, President William Ruto addressed the issue of delay among certain Cabinet Secretaries and Principal Secretaries who arrived late at State House for the performance contract signing event. President Ruto requested that they submit written explanations for their lateness, clarifying that traffic delays would not be accepted as a valid excuse.

“If you cannot keep time when your employer has called you, know that you have already sacked yourself. For those who came late, I will need an explanation, but it should not include traffic,” President Ruto asserted.

He went ahead to reprimand them saying they need to be on top of their game.

“I speak to many of you on phone. Many times, I call you to my office, we interact. In different places, I ask you questions – you know that – on programs, on projects. And, I find, that many of you – the people I speak to – don’t even know what is going on in your ministries or departments. You have very scant information. The moment I know more than you in your ministry, then, you must begin to understand that something is very wrong. Because, by constitution, you are supposed to advise me.

Explain to me how you are going to advise me if you have less information than I do. Who is going to be advising who? I call many PSs, I ask them “what’s going on here?” They have no clue. And this is your department. That is the job that you have.”

He continued, “You are not a messenger; you are not a security person; you are not a photographer; you are not a watchman: you are the PS. Or the minister. And the job of the minister and the PS, you don’t know. Or you don’t have information. How do you run a ministry or a department or a parastatal if you have no information? That is the highest level of incompetence.

So, please, take time: read. There is a lot of literature on your desks. There is a lot of briefs from departments. There are a lot of briefs from all manner of places. I take time, myself, to read. Because it’s the only way you can have the correct information for you to make the right decisions. You can never, I promise you, you can never make the right decisions if you don’t have the right information. It will all be a game of guesswork.”

Also read: Explain why you came late! Ruto calls out CSs and PSs