When the Jubilee Government retained power in 2017, the President made it clear that during his last term at the helm, his main focus will be his now famous Big 4 Agenda.
The President and the Jubilee Government promised to give special attention for Manufacturing, Affordable Housing, Universal Health Coverage and Food Security as part of their Big 4 plan.
Fast forward to 2019, the President has seen members of his Jubilee team engage in non-stop politics with the race to apparently succeed him come 2022 in many people’s plans. His deputy has also been affected by this.
Ruto makes numerous trips across the country in the name of launching projects but always ends up politicking with 2022 all in his mind.
Could this be the reason that Uhuru decided to entrust CS Fred Matiang’i with important government roles?
Matiang’i will take charge of the implementation and monitoring of all development projects initiated and funded by the national government through a new Cabinet sub-committee.
The sub-committee will be known as the National Development Implementation and Communication Cabinet Committee. It brings on board all CSs, Attorney General Kihara Kariuki and Head of Public Service Joseph Kinyua.
Under the new directive, the conceptualisation, monitoring, implementation and evaluation will be done right from the grassroots.
This means MPs will no longer be trooping to Ruto’s office to lobby for development projects.
In a new executive order, Uhuru established four powerful committees with Matiang’i at the helm.
The Matiangi-led National Development Implementation and Communication Cabinet Committee will report directly to the President.
It would provide overall supervisory leadership throughout the delivery circle of all national government’s programmes and projects.
The President’s move is seen as a deliberate strategy to take charge of his legacy projects, especially the Big Four Agenda, coming just days after a storm in his Central Kenya backyard that he had neglected the region.
Talk around political circles however suggest that the President has just shifted all the blames to CS Matiang’i and that should the Jubilee Government fail to achieve it’s much hyped Big 4 agenda, Matiang’i will be the one to be blamed.
Should Matiang’i be used as a Scapegoat in case the Jubilee Government does not meet it’s promises to the Kenyan people?