President Uhuru Kenyatta has directed all Cabinet Secretaries to take a 14-day break amid speculations over an impending reshuffle in the Executive.
However, the Star has established that the decision was taken to allow the ministers to have some rest having been engaged since the year began.
The Tuesday sub-Cabinet meetings, officially known as the National Development Implementation and Communication Cabinet Committee chaired by Interior CS Fred Matiangi are however mandatory.
This means that the Cabinet secretaries cannot be out of Nairobi for long.
"The CSs have not rested since the year began. They also need some time with their families. It’s a normal break, even judges go on recess," a senior government official told the Star.
However, the directive has triggered some anxiety in the government of a looming Cabinet reshuffle.
There has been speculation of impending Cabinet changes with some allies of ODM leader Raila Odinga quietly questioning what they have benefitted from the handshake.
"There is a looming Cabinet reshuffle that might come as soon as next week,” another source said.
Former Nairobi county assembly speaker Beatrice Elachi are reportedly among those poised to land plum state jobs.
Elachi voluntarily resigned from the chaos-ridden assembly earlier this week, in a surprise move after previously vowing to stay put.
In 2018, Uhuru in a similar move allowed all the CSs, Attorney General and Principal Secretaries to proceed on a Christmas leave.
At the time, Head of Public Service Joseph Kinyua said the break would allow them time to celebrate Christmas and New Year with their families and friends.
In their absence, Kinyua asked the top officials to designate an officer on duty to be in the office throughout the period.
“In the spirit of allowing you to celebrate Christmas with family and friends, it has been decided that you will take Christmas recess with effect from Friday December 21, 2018 to Monday January 7, 2019,” Kinyua’s letter read.
In 2019, the state officers were however not allowed to proceed on holiday until all pending bills are paid.
Treasury CS Ukur Yatani, in a press release, stated that payments for goods and services procured by the national government and county governments had led to the deterioration of financial positions of businesses, thereby having a negative impact on the economy.
Yatani said what government departments and counties were doing to Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) was unfair and had led to the closure of some companies.
“It’s unfair that after a contractor finishes their work, you stay with money…we are getting reports that some of these people owed by the government are stressed to the extent where they take their own lives,” Yatani said.
