As Kenyans pressure President William Ruto to take action against his Cabinet members, Interior CS Kithure Kindiki has ruled out the possibility of resigning. The CS, who leads the crucial Interior Ministry during a period of widespread protests against the Finance Bill, 2024 and the government, stated that the idea of leaving office has not occurred to him.
Kindiki mentioned that if the thought of resigning had crossed his mind amidst the current national crisis, he would have done so voluntarily.
“As to when I am resigning, that matter has not crossed my mind because I do not have a reason why I should resign,” Kindiki said in an interview with Citizen TV on Thursday.
“If for whatever reason I was convinced that I have done anything that warrants my resignation, I would happily do so.”
The anti-government protests have put senior state officials, including Cabinet Secretaries in President Ruto’s administration, under scrutiny for their performance over the nearly two years they have been in office.
Various groups, including civil society, opinion leaders, and religious organizations, have called on the President to reshuffle his Cabinet to meet citizens’ expectations. They have also called for the dismissal of underperforming CSs.
Despite this, Interior CS Kithure Kindiki has been ranked as the best-performing Cabinet Secretary by opinion polls since Ruto took office. A survey by InfoTrak released on June 10 ranked Kindiki as the top CS, with a score of 60 percent in addressing issues affecting Kenyans.
Defence CS Aden Duale came third with 50 percent, while CSs Eliud Owalo and Soipan Tuya tied with 49 percent.
The study highlighted Kindiki’s performance in communication, competency, and service delivery. In communicating to Kenyans, Kindiki scored 61 percent, followed by Ababu Namwamba and Aden Duale with scores of 52 percent and 51 percent, respectively.
In competency, Kindiki scored 60 percent, while Ababu and Duale scored 52 percent and 50 percent, respectively. Kindiki also scored 61 percent for success in improving ministry operations, with Ababu scoring 52 percent.
During a roundtable meeting with the media at State House on Sunday, President Ruto acknowledged that his Cabinet could have performed better in assisting him in leading the country.
