Orange Democratic Movement (ODM) Secretary-General Edwin Sifuna has raised doubts about the effectiveness of four opposition members recently nominated to President William Ruto’s cabinet. The nominees, John Mbadi (Treasury), Opiyo Wandayi (Energy), Ali Hassan Joho (Mining and Blue Economy), and Wycliffe Oparanya (Cooperatives), were part of the second batch of cabinet secretary nominees.
During a panel interview on Daybreak, Sifuna questioned whether these nominees, who come from an opposition background, would be able to implement President Ruto’s policies, particularly the “bottom-up” economic approach. He pointed out that this strategy was heavily criticized by the opposition during the campaign period.
Sifuna emphasized that the ODM party had not been involved in discussions about joining the government and that the nominees would join the cabinet in their personal capacities, without the party’s endorsement. “I can assure you Mbadi has no idea what bottom-up means because he is a member of ODM. For us, we needed to have a conversation first, to have a document that says these are the priority areas,” Sifuna stated.
He expressed skepticism about whether the new cabinet members could influence the government’s policies, particularly in areas that have been central to ODM’s platform. “For ODM, the priority areas have never changed. We are a pro-people party. We are not going there to talk about other things. For instance, the first thing I would do in this government is to roll back all the taxes imposed by this government. Is John Mbadi going to be able to do that without a conversation or a framework?” Sifuna questioned.
Sifuna also expressed his surprise and concern over the reappointment of many former cabinet secretaries, questioning whether the new additions from the opposition could have a meaningful impact in Ruto’s government. “I feel very bad for my chairman John Mbadi because he is a man that I respect. I don’t see how he will have an impact in President Ruto’s government because he is a minority,” Sifuna remarked.
He further highlighted the challenges of working with other cabinet members, such as Interior CS nominee Kithure Kindiki and Environment CS nominee Aden Duale, particularly on contentious issues like police reforms and accountability.
The four opposition nominees will be required to resign from their respective elective posts and political positions to take up their new cabinet roles.