Ruto's Coalition Cabinet Faces Kenya Parliament

This week, the National Assembly is screening President William Ruto's cabinet nominees and the prime cabinet secretary position has come under scrutiny. The ruling Kenya Kwanza coalition has already demonstrated its superiority in parliament with Speaker Moses Wetang'ula ruling that it was lawful for Ruto to create the position by executive order. Even so, this invention creates a potential conflict in the cabinet hierarchy given the stature of ex-deputy prime minister Musalia Mudavadi who is the nominee. For now, Ruto has honoured his power-sharing pact with allies who helped him to defeat an alliance between his predecessor Uhuru Kenyatta and Raila Odinga in the last general elections. Therefore, the president's coalition will remain stable in the near term but his incoming cabinet is susceptible to rivalries that may threaten cohesion.