How William Ruto is keeping a firm grip on his Kenya Kwanza team
William Ruto is keeping a firm grip on his Kenya Kwanza team to win the support of its lawmakers
William Ruto is keeping a firm grip on his Kenya Kwanza team to win the support of its lawmakers.
In order to get the support of the MPs in his Kenya Kwanza Alliance, President William Ruto has embraced a participatory management style.
In contrast to Uhuru Kenyatta, who was criticized for being difficult to reach, particularly during his second term, Dr. Ruto has welcomed the coalition’s top officials.
Ruto has called four Parliamentary Group (PG) meetings since the August 9 general election, at which he reportedly invited MPs to share their perspectives on the administration’s choices.
According to a report by Saturday Nation, whenever there is a serious matter in which MPs have to make a decision, Ruto convenes a meeting to discuss it with them.
Ruto also engages in regular evening phone calls with legislators, in which he asks them about the problems they face in their constituencies and how best the government can chip in.
The Kenya Kwanza lawmakers also admitted that the president has a lot of time for interactions on the phone. They said he sometimes calls to caution MPs who make statements that taint his administration.
“The President calls us and sometimes uses that opportunity to warn some of us from making what he always describes as reckless [statements]. Recently, he called a colleague of mine from Rift Valley asking him why he had started making utterances like the ones he made during the previous administration,” said an MP who requested anonymity.
According to Gabriel Kagombe, a member of parliament for Gatundu South, Ruto phones elected officials at random to get their opinions on various issues, including some of the appointments he intends to make.
“The manager is quite open to suggestions. He must communicate with us before taking any action. He calls and asks, “What do we think about the government planning to do something?”
The President appeared to have taken a lesson from his predecessor, whose difficulty getting around cost him ground in Mount Kenya.
Nyaribari Chache MP Zaheer Jhanda said Ruto is demonstrating that leadership is about collective responsibility, not a few individuals making decisions for everyone.
“This is to demonstrate to Kenyans that leadership is not about a one-man army; it’s a collective responsibility by bringing together members to discuss critical and serious issues affecting the country and legislation of bills that urgently require priority on the floor of the house. MPs also get the chance to have a one-on-one with the President. So he has basically demystified politics,” said Jhanda.
Marakwet West Timothy Toroitich said the President engages them on the phone on a raft of issues affecting different regions. “The President engages almost all leaders directly. He is very consultative.”
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