Cape Town – Changes in Kenya’s government structure have raised questions about President Uhuru Kenyatta’s agenda and the contentious relationship between Kenyatta and Deputy President William Ruto.
On Wednesday evening, an executive order was issued that changes the name of the presidency, reduces the deputy president’s power and forces the deputy president to be micromanaged, the Daily Nation reported.
Executive Order No.1 of 2020 has changed the name of Kenyatta’s office from the Presidency to the Executive Office of the President.
Deputy President William Ruto will now have to wait for instruction from the Executive Office of the President and is not in charge of any portfolio.
Additionally, PML Daily, a Ugandan digital news platform, has stated that Ruto will not have an independent budget any more and his chief of staff, Ken Nyaucho Osinde, will have to report to the executive office instead.
BBC reports that the changes have some convinced that Ruto is no longer a co-partner in running the country as the pair previously used to consult each other on important matters, such as state appointments.
Nairobi Metropolitan Services (NMS) – which involves Kenya’s capital city’s health services, transport services, public works, utilities, ancillary services and planning and development – will now also fall under the executive office.
This allows NMS to be funded by Consolidated Funds Services (CFS) and provides it with legal backing, according to the Daily Nation.
The order has also raised questions about accountability in the East African country since it permits the executive office to be in charge of parliamentary liaison and constitutional commissions, the latter which are supposed to be independent of other government divisions.
African News Agency (ANA)
