Cabinet Secretary Nominees On The Hot Seat Ft. Break Ups & Job Losses

Welcome to this week’s edition of ‘Spill The Tea’ newsletter where President William Ruto’s Cabinet Secretary nominees were in the national spotlight…live in Parliament.

Plus, a Kenyan media house is letting go of 300 employees…or more. And rumour has it that the famous celebrity couple are no longer a celebrity couple.

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On Episode 22:

1. The Grilling- What Ruto’s CS Nominees Said
2. Invasion At UDA Party
3. Standard Group Shedding 300 Jobs
4. Size 8 Dumps DJ Mo

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The Grilling- What Ruto’s CS Nominees Said

On July 24, President William Ruto nominated the second batch of Cabinet Secretaries in his broad-based Cabinet. On Thursday, August 1, they faced the National Assembly Appointments Committee.

Let’s take a look at the first 5:

Kithure Kindiki

In what would set the tone for eyebrows to be raised regarding recalled CS nominees, Kithure Kindiki, nominated for the Ministry of Interior and Coordination of National Government, revealed that his net worth rose by Ksh 150 million in the 21 months he has been in government.

According to Kindiki, his net worth has risen from Ksh544 million in 2022 to Ksh694 million at the current vetting.

Under intense examination by the Committee, chaired by Speaker Moses Wetangula, Kindiki was thrust into the spotlight once again at a time when demands for rigorous investigations into the financial dealings of public figures are at an all-time high.

As he faced questioning from the committee, Kindiki was adamant that his wealth increase was attributable to his legal practice and not to any government dealings.

“The increase in my net worth comes primarily from my law practice. I have not engaged in any business with the government or applied for any tenders directly or indirectly,” he declared.

The nominee explained that a substantial portion of the rise in his net worth followed the settlement of a long-standing debt by a client of his legal firm, a notable development that contributed to the substantial leap in his wealth.

He maintained that his financial gains are exclusively derived from his legal fees and consulting work. “None of my wealth has come from public funds except my official salary and allowances,” Kindiki emphasised.

Back in 2022, during his previous vetting, Kindiki had stated that his net worth of Ksh544 million was comprised of land and buildings valued at approximately Ksh165 million, along with bank deposits and investments in shares and various savings cooperatives amounting to around Ksh50 million.

What He Promised When Appointed

Kindiki revealed details of new and drafted Public Order Act regulations that will compel organisers of protests to declare the exact number of people expected to attend demonstrations. He disclosed that he was waiting for Cabinet approval regarding the drafted Act before presenting it to Parliament, before his dismissal when President Ruto dissolved his Cabinet on July 11.

The drafted Act would make protesters declare the exact number of expected participants to help in security planning purposes. If approved, Prof Kindiki said, the regulations will provide clear guidelines on how demonstrations should be conducted to ensure that both police and protesters abide by the Constitution.

Furthermore, Kindiki noted that the proposed rules will clearly outline the role and conduct of the police, while protesters will be required to declare the exact number of those who will be demonstrating for security purposes.

Prof Kindiki also told MPs that the regulations would require all public institutions to designate places where members of the public can picket and even present their petitions to ensure that the rest of the public who do not participate in the protests are not inconvenienced.

Passport Headache

At the same time, he postponed the promised reduction in passport processing times from three days to November 1, 2024, a massive blow to Kenyans who had eagerly anticipated swift passport services.

Initially set for September 1, 2024, the new timeline comes as a blow to many who had anticipated a quicker turnaround. Already, at the moment, passports are being processed within seven days, according to Kindiki.

“We have successfully addressed the previous backlog, which once peaked at 784,000. Today, there are no outstanding applications,” Kindiki assured the committee. The ministry now processes passports within a week, according to the new schedule.

Kindiki added, “We are issuing passports within seven days.”

The original promise, made in April 2024, was that passport applications would be processed within three days starting September 1. This was to be preceded by a three-week processing period starting May 1, with a reduction to seven days from August 1.

“The Government has reaffirmed its commitment to process all passport applications within 21 days from May 1, 2024, with the aim of reducing this to seven days by August 1, 2024, and three days by September 1, 2024,” Kindiki stated at the time.

Despite Kindiki’s pledge to meet the August 1 deadline, the State Department of Immigration is still issuing passports within a week. The Directorate of Immigration Services (DIS) has also reported that 110,059 passports remain uncollected, adding to the frustration of many applicants.

Debra Barasa

Dr Debra Mlongo Barasa, the nominee for the position of Health Cabinet Secretary, revealed that her net worth is Ksh455,845,320. While appearing before the Committee for vetting, she expounded by saying “My net worth is a combination of mine and my husband and it is Ksh455,845,320.”

The nominee further stated that she is a qualified medical doctor with 18 years of experience in the medical field. She also revealed details of her family life.

“I am a wife, a mother of four lovely children and also a twin. I have vast experience in terms of policy advice, strategic direction, technical advice and clinical practice,” Barasa explained.

At the same time, Barasa disclosed that she has been working with several Health Ministry focal points in the Eastern and Southern Africa region, which covers 22 countries, as well as the World Health Organization (WHO), to support their infection prevention and control (IPC) programmes.

In addition, the Cabinet nominee indicated that she has been involved in global strategies and action plans, as well as the development of guidelines at the global level.

What She Promised

During the vetting, Barasa was pressed to address the matter of the doctors’ strike, but she stated that she would ensure that she worked together with the doctors’ unions to ensure that there would be no more strikes.

“I believe that the long-term solutions are with us. We need to work together with the unions, doctors themselves, the interns, the bodies among other stakeholders to come up with a solution,” she said.

She said she did not have a solution but she proposed situational analysis to develop action plans following that, which included a doctors’/ interns’ Act, and the Return to Work Formulas which need implementation with help from the Ministry of Treasury.

Alice Wahome

The Cabinet Secretary nominee for the Ministry of Lands, Public Works, Housing and Urban Development disclosed a significant increase in her net worth, now standing at Ksh327 million. In 2022, Wahome stated that her net worth stood at Ksh218 million. Wahome revealed that her net worth has grown by Ksh109 million in the last 21 months.

During the vetting, the controversial Land Laws (Amendment) (Number 2) Bill, 2023, which had proposed to force freehold land owners, property owners who enjoy free ownership for perpetuity and can use the land for any purpose, to pay land rent, tormented her and she was put to task regarding the proposed Bill which also targeted ancestral land intending to change to leasehold land.

The CS nominee however clarified that the proposal, which was tabled in Parliament, would have compelled her to make an appearance to deliberate on the areas that would be designated under the proposed Bill.

“The provision was saying that the Minister will be able to designate the areas which then means you designate through regulations and I would still have had to come to Parliament to allow the designated areas that we would have picked and therefore the proposal by Parliament improved the provision,” she responded.

Reminder: On June 13, 2024, National Assembly Majority Leader Kimani Ichung’wah revealed that he wrote to Speaker Moses Wetangula announcing the withdrawal of the Bill.

According to the letter, Ichung’wah revealed that there was a myriad of constitutional and legal issues arising from the Bill and that the Executive arm of government had recommended the need for those issues to be addressed.

What She Promised

Wahome stressed the need to amend certain sections of the Land Act to stop land cartels in their tracks. This is in the wake of rampant land grabbing across the country.

She revealed that she was willing to take the war to the roots, accusing cartels of going to the extent of disrespecting title deeds, which are supposed to be definitive proof of land ownership.

“I am willing to take the fight to the crime scenes. These people have stolen land left, right, and centre. Government, institutions have lost land to people working within.

“I think we need to work on the amendments very quickly to the Land Act so that the minute the technical information on the land record is known to be interfered with or to have been fraudulently secured or changed, then the registrar should be able to immediately effect a cancellation,” she said.

In terms of land records, Wahome revealed that the Ministry needed up to Ksh40 billion to digitise land records under the National Land Information Management System also known as Ardhisasa.

Julius Migosi Ogamba

The Cabinet Secretary Nominee for the Ministry of Education declared his net worth at Ksh790 million, to which he revealed that the amount comprises “land, tea, trees, vehicles, farm equipment, and my law firm.”

Migosi is a legal professional with over 25 years of experience and is set to lead the Ministry of Education, taking over from Ezekiel Machogu, should he be approved for appointment.

Our reporter Lindwe Danflow covered what to expect from Machogu’s successor:

What He Promised

Migosi opened up on plans to ring-fence the capitation budget if approved to the docket, saying this is because education is a vital sector in the country, adding that delays in disbursing capitation funds which turn out to be inadequate hinder activities in schools.

To solve this, Migosi recommended that the ministry ought to have a discussion with the National Treasury to have capitation funds ring-fenced.

“The Ministry through Parliament can agree with the Treasury that the budget of the ministry be ring-fenced because it is a sensitive ministry. So that capitation can be released on time and in totality,”  he said.

Issues of delayed capitation this year caused some schools to close earlier than expected in the first term as principals no longer had resources to sustain the learners.

This led to the Kenya Union of Post-Primary Education Teachers (KUPPET) threatening to hold a strike in April that would cripple learning over capitation.

Migosi termed inadequate funding as the biggest problem in the education sector, saying “There is not sufficient money to cover all the programs and all the students in the country.”

Furthermore, he promised to change any policies he deems to be poor the moment he is approved by Parliament for the position. He was responding to queries by MPs during his vetting who noted that newly appointed leaders have recently adopted a behaviour of undoing functional policies their predecessors had in place.

He assured that he will not change any policy in the education sector that has been functioning perfectly. “However, it is good to give room for changes in policy that are not working,” Migosi said.

He also revealed that he is hoping teachers will not hold their planned September strike over budgetary cuts that will affect their salary increments, revealing he would bring together the teachers’ unions as well as the Teachers Service Commission (TSC) to discuss a way forward.

He affirmed that the situation must be controlled to ensure learning is not compromised come the Third Term in September.

Soipan Tuya

The Defence Cabinet Secretary nominee revealed that she is worth Ksh243 million, a significant increase from the Ksh156 million she reported in October 2022 when she was being vetted for the Environment CS position.

“It is largely from the appreciation of assets, private business and one asset acquired within Nairobi,” she told the Speaker Moses Wetangula-led committee.

In 2022, Tuya told the same committee that her assets comprised three homes based in Nairobi, Narok and another in her village. She also mentioned owning motor vehicles, apartments, plots of land and a dairy business.

What She Promised

Tuya revealed that should she be appointed, she would re-examine the deployment of Kenya Defence Forces (KDF) to civilian streets in line with the security status within the country. She disclosed that two options would be laid on the table; whether to extend the duration of the KDF deployment to civilian streets in light of a volatile situation as a result of the protests or to recall the military officers if normalcy resumes.

She however noted that the Gazette notice by her predecessor, Duale, which authorised the deployment of the military, is still active.

“The question on the Gazette notice deploying the KDF, it is still live and the time duration is until the normalcy is restored.

“I think it is an issue that upon confirmation is to go back and assess the situation with a view to lay the utility of whether to keep on having the deployment subsisting or to bring it to a halt given that a fair amount of normalcy actually has been restored with regard to the recent unrest in the country,” she revealed.

The deployment of the military amidst the anti-Finance Bill protests was challenged by the Law Society of Kenya (LSK) at the High Court which however ruled that the intervention was justified, though finding that it was clear that the public had not been fully appraised of the extent of the military involvement.

Duale on June 25 gazetted military deployment to support the National Police Service (NPS) in restoring normalcy in the country. National Assembly Majority Leader Kimani Ichung’wah thereafter tabled a motion to legally ratify the government’s decision to deploy military troops on Kenyan soil.

Three days later, another Gazette notice released by Duale gave specifics of the deployment, including to all the 47 counties and the duration being unspecified, though indicating that it would continue until normalcy is restored.

Subsequent protests have seen the KDF deployed only once to patrol the streets of Nairobi, this being on June 27. The officers were thereafter not spotted on civilian streets, despite some of the protests turning violent. With more protests planned for Thursday, August 8, it could be a while until the KDF is recalled.

The rest of the CSs are set to be vetted from August 2-4. Check out our website and social media platforms for more coverage on the vetting of the nominees.

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Invasion At UDA Party

On Tuesday, July 30, one Joe Khalende showed up at the United Democratic Alliance (UDA) party headquarters, declared himself Secretary-General and announced that Cleophas Malala was ousted from the position.

The lawyer, during a press briefing, accused Malala of abdicating his role and his duty as the SG of the ruling party. The SG is the spokesperson of the party and is charged with communicating as well as initiating meetings on behalf of the party.

Khalende further accused Malala of dumping the party in favour of the opposition and supporting the agendas which go against the ruling party.

“He has gone against our party leader. He is at the forefront against the formation of a broad-based government. I’m here to confirm that he is no longer the Secretary General of the UDA party,” Khalende announced, adding that he would take over as the SG.

“Going forward, the UDA party is going back to its members. It was formed as a people-centred party, it was not formed on an individual within the party. We were formed as UDA to ensure that if we take over power, we initiate the bottom-up economic principle, but clearly, Cleophas Malala has gone against the UDA party.”

Furthermore, according to Khalende, the opportunity was ripe for UDA members to extend an olive branch to members of the Orange Democratic Movement (ODM) party “and tell them that we are welcoming them in government, they come so that we can build the government together, we lift the lives of Kenyans from the bottom going up in the plan that the President and Raila Odinga have formulated in the broad-based government.”

“Going forward, anybody who will transact business, who will do business with one Cleophas Malala, he will be doing business on his own, not as the Secretary General of UDA,” Khalende added.

The founding member further claimed that the party had issued Malala a show-cause letter last month on why he has persistently failed to honour the party ideals, which he failed to honour, and allegedly frustrated the process of disciplining him within the party.

“They have gone ahead with other cartels within the party to be getting fake court orders to stop the party grassroots elections. So clearly, he has been a man on the run but trying to hide his plans by frustrating the true process of ensuring that we have a good election and new leadership within the party,” Khalende added.

Repercussions

Khalende was injured on Wednesday, July 31 as chaos ensued at the party headquarters along Ndong Road in Nairobi. According to videos observed by us, a group of supporters believed to be allied to Cleophas Malala invaded the party’s offices along Ngong Road chanting songs in support of the former Kakamega Senator.

Police were forced to intervene to save Khalende from the wrath of the crowd, believed to have injured him during the squabbles at the offices.

Videos showed him receiving treatment after suffering a cut on his head, and he emerged from the premises with bandages wrapped around his head and his white shirt soaked in blood.

He stood to face the crowd still in song in favour of Malala after they were barred from entering the premises by police. They could be heard shouting ‘tunataka Malala’ as some of them carried placards with the words ‘bila Malala ni taabu kubwa’.

UDA’s Next Course Of Action

UDA National Chairperson Cecily Mbarire has announced that the party will have an emergency National Executive Meeting (NEC) on Friday, August 2, 2024, which will address the recent wrangles in the UDA party between Cleophas Malala and lawyer Joe Khalende.

“I wish to announce that we are going to have an emergency national executive committee (NEC) meeting on Friday to resolve the matters that have emerged in the party since yesterday. I wish to assure all our members that as the NEC we shall make sure we solve those matters in a fair and best way possible and the party will be back on its feet and we will not allow what we have seen happen to continue,” said Mbarire.

The Embu Governor also faulted Khalende for declaring himself the UDA Secretary General noting that the party has a well-laid structure on how one occupies the position.

She further faulted the hiring of goons to storm the UDA Party headquarters in Ngong Road to beat up Khalende, stating that the party believes in the rule of law and has a clear way and means of dealing with conflicts.

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Standard Group Shedding 300 Jobs

The media is just another sector coming to terms with the harsh economic times which have been characterised by mass job losses. But this is a twist, the mass firings have happened to the prominent mainstream media houses almost constantly.

Barely a month after the Nation Media Group (NMG) announced mass layoffs, the Standard Group has revealed its intentions to declare redundancies. On Tuesday night, July 30, it announced that it intends to declare over 300 employees across various departments redundant.

The Mombasa Road-based media house revealed that as part of its compliance procedure, The Standard Group PLC issued a notice of Intention to declare redundancy to the Ministry of Labour and Social Protection as stipulated in section 40 (1) of the Employment Act, 2007.

The media house explained that in reaching this decision, it took into consideration, the difficult operating environment and its long-drawn effect on revenue generation.

“This situation has been witnessed on the back of shifting trends in media consumption, occasioned by technological changes in the digital media landscape and emerging consumer preferences which have necessitated a rethink of our business model,” the statement read in part.

“We remain confident that the reorganization of the business through restructuring will place us in good stead by adopting a leaner, more efficient structure for better performance and growth.”

Standard Group added that coupled with the new leadership that is coming on board, it considers the reorganization of its business as a necessary step intended to ensure business stability and continuity in the coming months as the Group strives to sustain and enhance the quality of journalism it offers.

Next Steps

“Additionally, we shall rationalize our products to ensure that they remain aligned with the media landscape,” added the statement.

Standard Group however noted that all the affected employees will be compensated as follows:

1. Payment for days worked until the date of exit.
2. Severance of pay of 15 days (or as indicated in the CBA for employees who are members of a union) for every completed year of service.
3. Notice of pay as per the contract of employment;
4. Payment of leave days accrued and not taken at the time of exit, and
5. Pension dues or gratuity in accordance with the Scheme Rules Contract of employment respectively.

“The redundancy notice takes effect upon expiry of the one-month notice issued today (31″ July 2024) and is expected to affect more than 300 employees across various departments. All the affected employees will be duly informed in writing,” the media house informed.

Has This Happened Before?

Standard Group has had a history of initiating frequent mass firings, which have exposed the media house to rampant poaching of stellar talent by rival mainstream media houses in the country.

The latest notice is a culmination of the group’s longstanding financial woes with employees from the media company going more than half an entire year without receiving their salaries. From four months to six months to even 10 months and beyond, the salary woes sparked a backlash from the Kenya Union of Journalists (KUJ), which issued several ultimatums over the matter.

The redundancies have created a sense of uncertainty within its workforce for months on end and media experts fear that more mass firings could scare off potential talent wanting to utilise the media house, known for brands such as The Standard Newspaper, KTN Home, KTN News, Radio Maisha, Spice FM, Berur FM, and Vybez Radio to grow their careers.

Reminder: we became the first digital media house to officially confirm rumours of alleged financial constraints at the century-old media house in 2022 which saw staff experience delays in receiving their monthly salaries.

Among the popular names that left the media house over the two years for greener pastures include Sophia Wanuna, Mercy Korir, news anchor Sharon Momanyi, seasoned Foreign Affairs editor, Lilian Odera, seasoned journalist Frank Otieno and editor Ted Malanda as well as Sheila Kwamboka, Nazizi Hirji, Fredrick Odeo Sirari, Lynda Oriaso, Geoffrey Mung’ou Jasmine Wambui, Jimmy Mbogoh, Francis Odee, Emmanuel Too, among others.

Job Losses Elsewhere

Many sectors of the economy are expected to witness mass job cuts in the coming months owing to the economic struggles facing many businesses. This was revealed in the May 2024 Chief Executive Officer’s Survey by the Central Bank of Kenya (CBK) which detailed that many businesses would aim to reduce their operation costs as they undertake other austerity measures.

Out of 1,000 CEOs from various sectors, 234 bosses indicated that they would reduce their workforce between July and September. 654 others noted that they would be maintaining their current workforce.

Mainstream In The Red

Many mainstream media houses are struggling to meet the salary demands of their employees owing to delays in the release of advertising charges by the government.

The government is one of the biggest advertisers in mainstream media. As of January 2024, the government owed various media houses Ksh1.7 billion in debt, a demand that found its way to the recent protests led by members of the Fourth Estate.

The situation was worsened when Broadcasting Principal Secretary Edward Kisiang’ani directed government institutions to exclusively advertise with the Kenya Broadcasting Corporation (KBC).

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Size 8 Dumps DJ Mo

Let’s assume it was bound to happen. Gospel singer Linet Munyali alias Size 8 Reborn claimed on Thursday, August 1 that she is single, a matter that brought an end to her 11-year marriage to Samuel Muraya, alias DJ Mo.

The musician, known for her powerful songs and uplifting messages, shared a heartfelt message on Thursday, August 1 expressing her acceptance of the situation and her unwavering faith in God’s plan.

The message began “Sometimes marriage works by God’s grace and sometimes it does not work but all in all, God is still on the throne!”

Adding that she is embarking on a new chapter in her life, she added “I’ve been married for 11 years and now I start the Journey of singlehood! But God is still on the throne, I worship you. Yahweh!”

Her announcement appeared to carry emotional weight, though she expressed her commitment to being steadfast in her faith.

The post was accompanied by emojis that conveyed a mix of sadness and hope, reflecting the complex emotions she was experiencing during this transition.

This announcement comes as a shock to many of her fans and followers, who have followed her journey as a wife, mother, and artist. Size 8 and her husband, DJ Mo, have been a beloved couple in the Kenyan entertainment industry, often sharing moments from their life on social media and television.

While Size 8 did not delve into the details of what led to the end of their marriage, her message indicates a deep reliance on her faith to navigate this challenging period. DJ Mo is yet to respond to her announcement by the time of publishing.

Some Kenyans claimed that she could be taking advantage of the announcement to chase clout, as has been a common case with Kenyan celebrities, though it does come as a surprise given that the couple has a show on TV47 dubbed ‘Love In The Wild’.

Have They Broken Up Before?

Rumours of their separation are nothing new. In 2022, media reports revealed that the couple parted ways, with Size 8 alleged to have moved out of their matrimonial home with her children. They had friction with each other which was revealed to have lasted a while.

The couple who in 2020 shared on YouTube some of their marital issues via their 20-minute segment ‘Dine with the Murayas,’ were joined by another couple to discuss matters of sex while in the institution of marriage.

In the discussion, Size 8 noted that she was not getting enough sex from her husband; pointing out that her husband was too busy to meet her needs.

However, the Mateke hitmaker in a YouTube video on August 31, 2022, revealed that she was angry at DJ Mo and had to give herself some space to calm down.

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Here are other stories we served for you this week:

1. President William Ruto denounced reports of plans to sell the iconic Jomo Kenyatta International Airport (JKIA) to an Indian-based multinational conglomerate, Adani Airport Holdings Limited. During a Presidential Town Hall held in Mombasa County on Sunday, July 28, Ruto said “We need to work with investors to give us a new airport in Nairobi. I have seen people saying that William Ruto wants to sell the airport. Am I a madman? How do you sell a strategic national asset? You have to be insane.”
2. Residents of Thindigua along Kiambu Road in Kiambu County earlier this week proposed stringent measures to curb the rising cases of insecurity that have seen four residential apartments attacked in the space of one week. Read the proposals here.
3. In the midst of reports that surfaced on Tuesday, July 30 of a section of Mt Kenya politicians plotting an impeachment motion against Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua, one Githunguri Member of Parliament Gathoni Wamuchomba believed that the plot is a distraction meted out on Kenyans to prevent them from focusing on real issues, including wanton corruption in the government.
4. After the downfall of the Finance Act 2024, the 2023 version was declared unconstitutional, null and void by the Court of Appeal. This means that President Ruto’s government DOES NOT have a Finance Act to govern taxation and related financial issues.
5. The Ministry of Health confirmed an outbreak of Mpox in Kenya. On Wednesday, July 31, Kenyans were cautioned of an outbreak of the deadly disease. Read more about the symptoms and treatment.
6. The Orange Democratic Movement (ODM) nominated Suna East MP Junet Mohamed as the Minority Leader, replacing Opiyo Wandayi who was nominated to President William Ruto’s Cabinet. Owing to Junet’s new role, Suba North MP Millie Odhiambo was nominated as the Minority Whip.
7. Kelvin Kang’ethe, who was accused of killing Kenyan nurse Margaret Mbitu at a US-based airport in 2023 will face first-degree murder charges in the United States (US). Milimani Law Courts Chief Magistrate Lucas Onyina on Wednesday, July 31 approved an extradition order, ruling in favour of the prosecution’s application, directing that Kang’ethe be extradited to the Chelsea District Court in Suffolk County, Massachusetts, for the prosecution of an alleged first-degree murder offence, in accordance with Massachusetts General Law, chapter 265, section 1.

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