Kenya cabinet reactions: initial reaction

By Udi Waithaka

President Mwai Kibaki has today reappointed Prof. George Saitoti and Hon Kiraitu Murungi back into their original dockets – Education and Energy respectively. He also appointed 9 new assistant ministers to the already blotted cabinet.

The two ministers were dropped because they were under intense investigation over their involvements in the two major corruption scandals over the last two decades, Goldenberg and Anglo Leasing.

Where Prof. Saitoti is concerned, we could almost forgive him – much as we do not like it. He is a career educationist, he presided over the implementation of the free education programme and several other key programmes, in that ministry. In addition, he was procedurally cleared of involvement in the Goldenberg scandal in court.

On July 31, Prof. Saitoti was cleared of all charges and allegations by Justices Joseph Nyamu, Roselyne Wendo and Amanyara Emukele, who also ordered the Attorney General not to prosecute Saitoti on the issue.

Kiraitu Murungi, who recently published his poetry book, has not to my knowledge been cleared of the charges or allegations.

He also is abrasive and highly political – a true gimmick. He is a mistake.