PRESIDENT Uhuru Kenyatta has forged an elaborate strategy to raid the Opposition strongholds in a Cabinet reshuffle as he reorganises his government.
The Star has established the President will appoint to the Cabinet Charles Nyachae, son of veteran Gusii politician Simeon Nyachae, as well as Cord leader Raila Odinga's former ally Gideon Mung’aro.
Nyachae is chairman of the Commission for Implementation of the Constitution and Mung’aro the Kilifi North MP (ODM).
Suspended Cabinet secretaries, including some allies of Deputy President William Ruto, would eventually be replaced, despite the clamour from some quarters to re-admit them, sources tell the Star. They include CSs Felix Koskei (Agriculture) and Davis Chirchir (Energy), as well as Chief of Staff Marianne Kitany, the sources said.
Implementation of the plan could begin as early as this week before the President travels to New York on Monday to attend the annual UN General Assembly.
“Of course [suspended Lands CS Charity] Ngilu's and [suspended Transport CS Michael] Kamau's fates are sealed. They cannot come back to government. For [suspended Labour CS] Kazungu Kambi, the chances are fifty-fifty,” a top government official said yesterday.
Kambi is another Ruto ally.
Nyachae is expected to take over the Devolution docket that will be hived off from the Devolution and Planning Ministry headed by Anne Waiguru.
Waiguru is at the centre of a storm over Sh791 million missing from the National Youth Service, which is part of her docket. She heads a huge ministry containing seven former ministries from the Grand Coalition that were collapsed into one department.
“Negotiation for Nyachae's entry into the Cabinet is a done deal. You can take this to the bank,” one source said.
Mung’aro had a bitter falling out with Raila after his demotion from Minority Whip in the National Assembly.
Sources said Mung’aro has been delaying acceptance of Uhuru's overtures, as a Cabinet appointment would mean he loses his seat representing Kilifi North.
President Kenyatta last year 'poached' Interior CS Joseph Nkaissery, then an ODM MP, in a similar fashion and elevated him to the Cabinet.
Kilifi is considered ODM political turf and it voted overwhelmingly for Raila in the 2013 general election.
But the reshuffle could widen cracks between Uhuru's TNA and DP Ruto's URP.
Disquiet has been building in Rift Valley over the future of suspended state officers shown the door in the anti-graft purge. They were subsequently cleared.
Allies of the DP swept aside in the purge include Kitany, Koskei, Chirchir and Kambi.
Nyachae's appointment is also likely to cause political tension in Kisii since Kenyatta has appointed nearly five of his family members into plum parastatal positions.
Nyachae's daughter Judy and son Kenneth Bitange Nyachae were appointed to the Export Processing Zone and the Kenya Civil Aviation Authority boards, respectively.
Nyachae's niece Violet Omwamba was appointed to the Lake Victoria South Water Services Board, while his nephew Christopher Ayienda was named board member of New Kenya Co-operative Creameries Limited.
Another nephew, Samwel Nyanchama, was appointed to the Energy Regulatory Commission Board.
