- Ogeto was last week replaced at the State Law Office by Shadrack Mose -another Nyamira County native just like him.
- President Willliam Ruto on Thursday picked Ogeto as his Legal Affairs Advisor, positioning him at the heart of state power.
Image: ANGWENYI GICHANA
Former Solicitor General Kennedy Ogeto's appointment to a key state job signalled efforts by the government to end hostilities with ex-Interior CS Fred Matiang'i.
President William Ruto on Thursday picked Ogeto as his Legal Affairs Advisor, positioning him at the heart of state power.
Head of Public Service Felix Koskei said the appointment is part of the President's amplification of the governance and delivery function in his office.
The appointment, coming at a time when President Ruto is consolidating the Gusii region, is seen as a deliberate strategy to appease Matiang'i's Nyamira base.
It also lifts the lid on the success and progress of efforts to end hostilities with the former Interior Cabinet Secretary who aggressively campaigned for Azimio leader Raila Odinga.
Ogeto, who was last week replaced at the State Law Office with Shadrack Mose -another Nyamira County native just like him-had close links with Matiang'i.
Recently, Kisii leaders have closed ranks to plead for lenience against Matiang'i after it emerged that he faced possible prosecution.
The CS was questioned by the Directorate of Criminal Investigations over falsifying information on a fake police raid at his Karen home.
During his tenure at Harambee House, Matiang'i traversed the Kisii region in the company of Ogeto and other top government officials from the region.
Former Ministry of Health Principal Secretary Susan Mochache was also in the group that worked closely with Matiang'i.
They held numerous harambees for schools and churches across Kisii and Nyamira counties during retired president Uhuru Kenyatta's tenure.
Ogeto is a trusted ally of Matiang'i and had tied with the Nyamira-based United Progressive Alliance party.
However, it is not clear if his appointment was part of a negotiated deal between UPA and Kenya Kwanza
The UPA party is linked to Matiang'i but led by Nyamira governor Amos Nyaribo who recently declared support for President William Ruto.
The party is a member of the opposition leader Raila Odinga's Azimio La Umoja One Kenya Coalition but has since said it will work with the Kenya Kwanza administration.
Political Analysts Alexander Nyamboga said Ogeto's appointment may not have come out of the blues but a cleverly planned negotiation.
"It is in the public knowledge that Ken and Matiang'i were close friends who worked for Uhuru, tapping him to a senior executive appointment by Ruto speaks volumes," he said.
The analyst noted that the Kisii leaders could have negotiated a truce and assurance that the community's senior government officials would not be fired.
"Remember Raila was already running away with the narrative that Ruto was out to punish the Kisii community because of Matiang'i and that Kisiis were being fired," he said.
Ogeto's appointment could also build Ruto's image within the Kisii region having so far appointed three Chief Administrative Secretaries from the community.
Speaking on Monday after Mose's swearing-in as the new Solicitor General at State House, Nairobi, Ruto said Ogeto's distinguished service to the nation would not go unrewarded.
He said he looks forward to working with him in other capacities in the future owing to his vast experience in legal field.
"I have worked with him even in this transition period and I'm very confident and I already told him that the future is bright and he will move on to other responsibilities that would tap into the experience that he has acquired," Ruto said.