Owalo, Kuria Surprise Appointments in the Office of the President

Collage of (clockwise) Owalo, Ruto, Itumbi and Kuria. Photo | NMG

Eliud Owalo is now the Deputy Chief of Staff in the Executive while Moses Kuria becomes the sixth person to join the Dr. David Ndii-led Council of Economic Advisors.

Also benefiting from the surprise appointments is prolific blogger and State House operative Dennis Itumbi who now becomes Head of Creative Economy and Special Projects. For his persistent loyalty to the president Itumbi deserves the appointment.

Question is that less than a fortnight ago when announcing a raft of measures in line with the Gen Z requirements, Ruto said he would cut down by half the number of advisors. Is this blatant gifting of cronies one of the austerity measures outlined by the President?

On one hand Kuria had a controversial tenure at the Trade ministry with open claims that he was more into cutting shady deals left, right and centre than working the docket. Owalo on the other hand was accused by the Siaya community, where he comes from, for concentrating on setting up of national digital spaces and donating rice and beans instead of using his office to promulgate tangible development.

Whatever happens now people are curious to see whether the president recycles his whole bunch of old cabinet by fixing them up in critical positions of his government. 

While addressing a public rally in Kilifi recently the president unabashedly said it will be only a matter of time before mediocre former CS Aisha Jumwa is reinstated into government.

In the appointment of Owalo and Itumbi political pundits see the rebirth of the Kinyua-led all-powerful Presidential Delivery Unit (PDU) of Uhuru Kenyatta era. The Executive Office of the President has a budgetary allocation of KES 1.1 billion.

Maybe the Gen Z succeeded in teaching Mr. Ruto a vital communication skill that digital propaganda is best enforced with management of digital spaces. Itumbi creates and Owalo delivers.

Already Ruto’s advisors have reached 8, one more than they were before he promised to reduce them by half.

1. David Ndii – Economic Advisor
2. Moses Kuria – Economic Advisor
3. Augustine Cheruiyot – Economic Transformation Advisor
4. Monica Juma – National Security Advisor
5. Adan Mohamed – Chief of Strategy Execution Advisor
6. Harriet Cheggai – Women’s Right Advisor
7. Henry Rotich – Fiscal Affairs and Budget Policy Advisor
8. Ali Mohamed – Climate Change Advisor

Moses Kuria’s portfolio of Senior Economic Advisor is cosmetic and simply meant to enable him protect his recently acquired massive wealth. After all what economic advice do you expect a person of Kuria’s mental calibre to provide where David Ndii stagnated?