The Cabinet Secretary Who Was Fired from Same Docket by Both Uhuru and Ruto

On 11 July 2024, President William Ruto conceded to the demands of Kenyans, specifically the youth, who'd called for the dismissal of the entire cabinet over claims of incompetence.

While engaging the youth in a conversation on X Space, one of the main issues that arose was the issue of cabinet secretaries, and most speakers expressed disappointment with some of the officeholders.

Although President Ruto defended some of his CSs during the X Space, he decided to let all of them go on 11 July 2024, save for Prime Cabinet Secretary Musalia Muvadavi, who is also the CS for Foreign Affairs.

Among those who were dismissed was Davis Chirchir, the CS for Energy and Petroleum, who has now been fired from the same docket by both former President Uhuru Kenyatta and President Ruto.

Chirchir was first appointed Energy and Petroleum CS in 2013 by retired President Uhuru Kenyatta.

He was, however, suspended in 2015 over allegations of misappropriating public funds. He was investigated and cleared by the Ethics and Anti-Corruption Commission (EACC) and later cleared. 

Despite being cleared, he did not return to the cabinet. In March 2022, he was appointed the Chief of Staff in the office of the Deputy President after the death of Ken Osinde, who initially held the role.

Ahead of the August 2022 general election, he worked closely with Ruto and was elevated to Chief of Staff in the Executive Office of the President in September 2022 after Ruto was declared the winner of the presidential election.

When President Ruto constituted his government, Chirchir made a comeback as CS for Energy and Petroleum.

In the first year of his second stint as CS, Chirchir came under harsh criticism from Kenyans for removing the subsidy on petroleum products, which saw the prices of diesel, kerosene, and super petrol hit a record high.

The high cost of fuel affected other sectors, hence increasing the cost of living. In May 2023, the opposition and its supporters held several protests over the high cost of living.

Twenty months into his second stint, the CS was dismissed along with his colleagues. While announcing the dismissal, President Ruto noted that the decision was based on feedback from the people and the performance of his cabinet.

"Upon reflection, listening keenly to what the people of Kenya have said and after a holistic appraisal of the performance of my Cabinet and its achievements and challenges, I have, in line with the powers given to me by Article 152(1) and 152(5)(b) of the Constitution and Section 12 of the Office of the Attorney-General Act, decided to dismiss with immediate effect all the Cabinet Secretaries and the Attorney-General from the Cabinet of the Republic of Kenya except the Prime Cabinet Secretary and Cabinet Secretary for Foreign and Diaspora Affairs," President Ruto said.

Reacting to the dismissal, Chirchir thanked the president for the opportunity he gave him to serve Kenyans.

"I extend my heartfelt gratitude to you for entrusting me with the role of CS for Energy and Petroleum in the Kenya Kwanza Administration. I am deeply honored and will forever be indebted to you and the people of Kenya for the opportunity," he said.

Interestingly, during the vetting of the Cabinet Secretary nominees, a section of lawmakers, such as John Mbadi, expressed reservations and cautioned against approval of some of the nominees.

"Mr Speaker, looking at this cabinet in totality I have my fears we are approving a cabinet that is not so competent, we are approving a cabinet that i think the mindset of the appointing authority was not on service delivery... This is a cabinet that lacks competence and integrity in many aspects," Mbadi said in part.

Mbadi took issue with Chirchir's nomination, noting that he had previously been removed from office.

"Look at the case of Davis Chirchir, this is the same gentleman who was removed from office in 2015 on matters of corruption. How many Kenyans would even remember that he held the same docket? That means he never left a mark...We have a choice to either reject over 60% of these names or give President Ruto his skunk.," Mbadi said.

The legislators, by majority, approved the nominees who the president later appointed, and twenty months later, they have all been dismissed.