The recent vetting of Cabinet Secretary (CS) nominees has provided a revealing glimpse into their net worth, offering a stark contrast to President William Ruto’s previous team.
This shift comes in the wake of Ruto’s dramatic dismissal of nearly his entire Cabinet on July 11, 2024, a move aimed at forming a broad-based government following deadly anti-government protests.
In a notable exception, Foreign Affairs CS and Prime Cabinet Secretary Musalia Mudavadi was the only member of Ruto’s original Cabinet spared from the sweeping dismissals.
Nine former CSs were reinstated, while 12 others were left out as Ruto introduced his new lineup.
The Parliamentary Committee on Appointments, led by National Assembly Speaker Moses Wetang’ula, conducted the vetting of the nine reinstated CSs and 11 new nominees.
During this process, the nominees publicly declared their net worth, providing an opportunity to assess their financial standing compared to their predecessors.
Hassan Joho emerged as the wealthiest nominee with a net worth of Ksh2.3 billion. Overall, the 20 CS nominees have a combined net worth of Ksh10.7 billion.
Here is a breakdown of some notable nominees and their declared net worth:
1. Ali Hassan Joho (Ministry of Mining, Blue Economy and Maritime Affairs) – Ksh2.3 billion net worth.
2. Aden Duale- (Environment, Climate Change and Forestry) – Ksh980 million net worth, an increase of Ksh129 million from the previous Ksh851 net worth when vetting in October 2022 for the Defense docket.
3. Justin Muturi (Ministry of Public Service) – Ksh801 million net worth, an increase of Ksh40 million from the previous Ksh761 million when vetted for the Attorney General position in 2022.
4. Julius Migos Ogamba (Education) – Ksh790 million.
5. Kithure Kindiki (Interior and National Administration) – net worth of Ksh694 million, an increase of Ksh150 million from the previous Ksh544 million when last vetted in 2022.
6. Kipchumba Murkomen (Youth Affairs, Creative Economy and Sports) – Ksh620 million net worth, an increase of Ksh40 million from the previous Ksh550 million net worth in 2022.
7. Wycliffe Oparanya (Ministry of Cooperatives and MSMEs) – Ksh600 million net worth.
8. Opiyo Wandayi (Energy and Petroleum) – Ksh530 million net worth.
9. Davis Chirchir (Roads and Transport) – Ksh509.8 million net worth, an increase of Ksh27.6 million from the previous Ksh482.2 million net worth in October 2022.
10. Debra Mlongo Barasa (Health) – Ksh455.8 net worth.
11. Rebecca Miano (Ministry of Tourism and Wildlife) – Ksh444 million net worth, an increase of Ksh3 million from the previous Ksh397 million net worth in October 2022.
12. Alfred Mutua – (Ministry of Labour and Social Protection) – Ksh462 million, an increase of Ksh42 million from the previous Ksh420 million net worth in October 2022.
13. John Mbadi (Ministry of National Treasury) – Ksh380 million net worth.
14. Alice Wahome (Lands, Housing and Urban Development) – Ksh327 million net with, an increase of Ksh109 million from the previous Ksh218 million net worth in October 2022.
15. Roselinda Soipan Tuya (Defence) – Ksh243 million net worth, an increase of Ksh87 million from the previous Ksh156 million net worth in October 2022.
16. Andrew Muihia Karanja (Agriculture and Livestock Development) – Ksh214 million net worth.
17. Salim Mvurya (Ministry of Trade and Investments) – Ksh158 million net worth, an increase of Ksh38 million from the previous Ksh120 million net worth in October 2022.
18. Margret Nyambura Ndung’u (Information, Communications and the Digital Economy) – Ksh95.3 million net worth.
19. Stella Soy Langat (Ministry of Gender, Culture, Arts and Heritage) – Ksh70 million net worth.
20. Eric Murithi Muga (Water, Sanitation and Irrigation) – Ksh31 million net worth.
Notably, Attorney General nominee Dorcas Agik Oduor and East African Community Affairs (EAC) & Regional Development CS nominee Beatrice Askul Moe have not yet been vetted, leaving their net worths unknown.
Mudavadi’s current net worth also remains undisclosed, though it was Ksh4.4 billion in 2022.
Ruto’s first Cabinet
Ruto’s initial Cabinet, formed after he assumed power in September 2022, had a combined net worth of Ksh15.83 billion.
The team consisted of 24 members, including 22 CSs, the Attorney General, and the Secretary to the Cabinet.
Mudavadi was the wealthiest member of Ruto’s original Cabinet, with a net worth of Ksh4.4 billion. He first became a Cabinet minister in 1989 under the late President Daniel Moi’s administration at the age of 29.
A look back at Ruto’s first Cabinet reveals significant wealth among its members:
1. Musalia Mudavadi (Prime Cabinet Secretary) – Ksh4.4 billion net worth.
2. Mithika Linturi (Agriculture) – Ksh1.2 billion net worth.
3. Simon Chelugui (Cooperatives and MSMEs) – Ksh993 million net worth.
4. Njuguna Ndung’u (National Treasury) – Ksh950 million net worth.
5. Aden Duale (Defence) – Ksh871 million net worth.
6. Justin Muturi (Attorney General) – Ksh700 million net worth.
7. Moses Kuria (Public Service) – Ksh750 million net worth.
8. Eliud Owalo (ICT) – Ksh645 million net worth.
9. Ezekiel Mochogu (Education) – Ksh590 million net worth.
10. Kipchumba Murkomen (Transport) Ksh550 million net worth.
12. Kithure Kindiki (Interior) – Ksh544 million net worth.
13. Davis Chirchir (Energy) – Ksh482 million net worth.
14. Ababu Namwamba (Sports) – Ksh435 million net worth.
15. Alfred Mutua (Tourism and Wildlife) – Ksh420 million net worth.
16. Rebecca Miano (Trade and Industry) – Ksh397 million net worth.
17. Penina Malonza (EAC, ASAL, Regional Authority) – Ksh300 million net worth.
18. Alice Wahome (Lands) – Ksh 218 million net worth.
19. Florence Bore (Labour) – Ksh200 million net worth.
20. Soipan Tuya (Environment) – Ksh156 million net worth.
21. Salim Mvurya (Mining) – Ksh120 million net worth.
22. Susan Nakumicha (Health) – Ksh101 million net worth
23. Aisha Jumwa (Gender) – Ksh100 million net worth.
24. Zachary Njeru (Water) – Ksh80 million net worth.
This comparison reveals a significant decrease in the combined wealth of the current Cabinet nominees compared to their predecessors, reflecting a notable shift in the economic landscape of Kenya’s political elite.
As the CS nominees’ names are forwarded to Parliament for debate, their financial standing will undoubtedly continue to be a point of public interest and scrutiny.