Power and Money: What the Cabinet Secretaries control

What you need to know:

  • Cabinet Secretaries could be looking at their Transport counterpart James Macharia with envy, with his ministry controlling Sh274 billion
  • Education Cabinet Secretary Amina Mohamed will be in charge of Sh200 billion when the money that goes to the TSC (Sh218 billion) is discounted.
  • Interior Cabinet secretary Dr Fred Matiang’i, for all the docket’s profile, will control Sh142 billion and a dozen institutions.

In the heady days of former President Daniel arap Moi’s rule a contest for the unofficial title of the most powerful Cabinet minister was always raging behind the scenes.

Various pretenders emerged but Nicholas Biwott and Hezekiah Oyugi (a Permanent Secretary) were at different times perceived to be the power behind the throne; people who could pull the strings and resolve a troublesome business or political situation. In short, people with keen ears at the top.

Exit Moi and enter President Mwai Kibaki in 2003 with Narc and the Pentagon constituted the first among equals. Despite that it was clear, as was with the Grand coalition government later, that former Prime Minister Raila Odinga was Mr Kibaki’s counterweight. This meant Cabinet ministers held almost equal clout, except within the wings of the coalition they represented.

EQUAL CLOUT

When Uhuru Kenyatta became President in 2013 the ground had shifted on what constituted a powerful minister, now renamed Secretary, following the 2010 Constitution which created the position of Deputy President. Also blurring the lines was the fact that Cabinet Secretaries no longer had political capital, at least on paper, being technocrats appointed from outside Parliament.

Soon people started looking at another proxy – the amount of resources controlled by a given ministry – for a clue to the influence a minister had in government. It came as no surprise that former Devolution and Planning Cabinet Secretary Anne Waiguru was considered among the most powerful.

In all she controlled 11 constitutional commissions and 16 institutions including the Public Service, youth and women funds and her eventual waterloo, the National Youth Service.

MOST POWERFUL

Is there a Waiguru equivalent in the current administration? Going by an Executive Order issued by President Kenyatta this week other Cabinet Secretaries could be looking at their Transport counterpart James Macharia with envy. His docket is a sentence in itself - Transport, Infrastructure, Housing, Urban Development and Public Works; and Shipping and Maritime. With four principal secretaries and a chief administrative secretary under him, Mr Macharia is in charge of 29 institutions including railways and roads where most of the government resources are being channelled in support of the Big Four agenda.

Going by the Budget read by Mr Henry Rotich on Thursday the ministry will control Sh274 billion, an amount only rivalled by the sharable revenue of Sh376 billion going to counties. In contrast, Education Cabinet Secretary Amina Mohamed will be in charge of Sh200 billion when the money that goes to the Teacher Service Commission (Sh218 billion) is discounted. Interior Cabinet secretary Dr Fred Matiang’i, for all the docket’s profile, will control Sh142 billion and a dozen institutions.