CSs turn to pro-Ruto campaigns as public waits for services

The 2027 General Election may still be a year away, but for some members of President William Ruto’s Cabinet, the campaign period has already begun.

Across the country, Cabinet Secretaries who were appointed to run government departments and deliver services to millions of Kenyans are increasingly finding themselves on political platforms and car rooftops urging Kenyans to re-elect the president.

Religious leaders and political analysts have expressed concern at the politicking by senior government officials, including Principal Secretaries, currently engaged in political exchanges with the opposition while mobilising support for President Ruto.

Presbyterian Church of East Africa (PCEA) Moderator Rev Thegu Mutahi delivered a blunt message to politicians in government, telling them to go back to their offices and serve Kenyans instead of engaging in premature 2027 campaigns.

“When will work start to be done in this country because they did not even start this year? Even last year and the year before, we saw them campaign,” Mutahi said.

His criticism captures a frustration that is becoming increasingly difficult to ignore. Cabinet Secretaries are not elected to Parliament, but they hold some of the most powerful administrative positions in the country. Their primary responsibility is to make government work.

Yet some have become among the administration’s most visible political voices and Prime Cabinet Secretary Musalia Mudavadi provides one of the clearest examples.

His Foreign Affairs docket still carries the difficult responsibility of dealing with Kenyans caught up in the Russia-Ukraine conflict. Hundreds of Kenyans were recruited into Russian military operations, with families left desperately searching for information about their loved ones.

The government has secured the repatriation of some of those affected, but the problem remains far from completely resolved. Parliamentary updates indicated that Kenyans remained active in operations, while others were missing or receiving treatment in Russian hospitals. Two were also being held as prisoners of war.

In April, Mudavadi held high-level diplomatic engagements, including talks in Moscow, in an effort to address the situation. But while some families continue to wait for answers, Mudavadi has increasingly returned to Kenya’s domestic political arena.

He has defended President Ruto’s second-term ambitions, recently calling for what he described as a “petition-free” victory in 2027.

“When we talk of two terms, let us also emphasise a petition-free win for President Ruto,” Mudavadi said.

For families waiting for government intervention over relatives caught in a foreign war, the sight of the country’s top diplomat campaigning for a future election can easily create a sense that their immediate concerns have been pushed down the priority list.

Then there is Interior Cabinet Secretary Kipchumba Murkomen.

The Interior docket should ordinarily keep its holder occupied with security, policing, public order and the protection of citizens. Yet Murkomen has become one of the government’s most active political defenders, particularly in his exchanges with former Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua and other opposition figures.

He has consistently been ready to challenge the opposition. “Before you can engage the Kenya Kwanza government and debate President William Ruto, get out of your tribal narrative, simple minds, and start thinking of even a simple manifesto for five years.”

But while the political exchanges continue, Kenya continues to grapple with difficult questions about policing and insecurity.

The death of 19-year-old Erick Otieno after his detention at Muthaiga Police Station has raised serious questions about police accountability. Reports from his post-mortem examination indicated that he died from internal bleeding and a ruptured spleen caused by blunt-force trauma.

The case has added to concerns over allegations of police brutality at a time when the Interior Ministry is expected to rebuild public confidence in law enforcement.

Questions have also persisted over the case involving police officer Agnes Ndanu, who is accused in connection with the death of Nicole Omondi. More than a month later, concerns remain over the pace of accountability.

At the same time, politically linked youth groups and goonism continue to trouble parts of the country.

This week’s unrest in Homa Bay, where groups of youths clashed with police and disrupted business and transport, was another reminder of how quickly political tensions can spill onto the streets.

Murkomen has said criminal gangs should be dealt with firmly through lawful means and has accused politicians of financing them for political purposes.

But his critics can reasonably ask: if the government knows politicians are financing criminal gangs, why are some of those associated with such violence still walking freely?

The question becomes sharper when the Interior CS is seen spending considerable political energy fighting opposition figures.

Public Service CS Geoffrey Ruku is facing a similar question.

Ruku has become increasingly active in Mount Kenya politics, openly taking positions on the political direction of the region as preparations for 2027 gather pace.

At one point, he said: “We as Mt Kenya East do not care what happens to Mt Kenya West.”

But his Public Service docket has its own pressing problems. An audit uncovered billions of shillings in irregular salary payments associated with thousands of ghost workers and other questionable payroll entries. Some records reportedly showed officers receiving double salaries, while others contained extraordinary employment details, including people listed as having been employed before they were born.

For a Cabinet Secretary responsible for public service, such revelations should be a major priority. The question is whether enough is being done to permanently close the loopholes that allow such losses to occur.

Instead, Kenyans have increasingly seen Ruku in the political arena, speaking about the future of Mount Kenya and the battle for regional influence.

Health CS Aden Duale has also become one of the administration’s most vocal political defenders, but his ministry is dealing with challenges that directly affect ordinary Kenyans.

The Social Health Authority continues to face criticism from hospitals and healthcare providers over claims processing and deductions. The government has acknowledged a two per cent service fee on SHA claims, saying the money is channelled to the Digital Health Agency to support the national health information system.

Duale has defended the charge as a capped fee, but healthcare providers continue to question how the cap is being applied, particularly to large claims.

The health sector is also facing renewed pressure from nurses. On August 6, 2026, nurses demonstrated in Nairobi, demanding implementation of a return-to-work agreement, promotions and permanent and pensionable terms for workers employed under the Universal Health Coverage programme.

The continued disruption of healthcare services leaves patients paying the price.

Energy CS Opiyo Wandayi faces a similar challenge.

When widespread power outages hit the country, Wandayi moved to explain that the problem was not insufficient generating capacity but ageing infrastructure.

“The country’s installed capacity is more than adequate to meet the demands,” he said, promising improvements to the infrastructure and a faster response whenever blackouts occur.

But Kenyans do not experience electricity policy through speeches. They experience it when businesses lose stock, students cannot study and households are left in darkness.

Wandayi, like other former opposition figures now serving in government, has also become part of the administration’s political machinery.

The same pattern can be seen among former opposition leaders such as John Mbadi, Wycliffe Oparanya and Hassan Joho, whose political influence remains valuable to the administration as it builds support ahead of 2027.

That is precisely why Rev Mutahi’s warning matters. His question is bigger than any individual Cabinet Secretary: “When will work start to be done in this country?”

It is a question Kenyans can ask every ministry: Who is fixing the health system? Who is restoring confidence in the police? Who is cleaning up the public payroll? Who is bringing Kenyans trapped abroad back home? Who is fixing the electricity infrastructure? And who is making sure government money actually reaches the people it was intended to serve?

There is nothing inherently wrong with politicians preparing for elections. But when Cabinet Secretaries begin spending more time defending political interests than explaining measurable results in their ministries, the distinction between governing and campaigning becomes dangerously blurred.

The 2027 election will come. For now, however, Kenyans still have bills to pay, hospitals to access, jobs to find, roads to use, businesses to run and loved ones to bring home.

The country needs its Cabinet to govern before it campaigns.

As Rev Mutahi put it, “Those in government should be delivering but everyone is seeking votes.”

That may be the most important political message of all: Kenyans do not need another campaign speech. They need the government they already have to work.