Kenyan President Issues Executive Order Cutting Deputy’s Powers
The order has abolished the Presidency, creating a new “Executive Office of the President”.
Under the new government structure, the Deputy President will not be able to act autonomously, but will depend on decisions made by the President or his office. This means that the Deputy President will no longer have power to hire staff, have a budget or other related functions.
“The government shall be organized as set out in this order, that this order contains portfolio responsibilities and changes made in the structure of government,” Kenyatta said in an executive order issued late Wednesday
The administration overhaul comes on the backdrop of souring relations between President Kenyatta and his deputy William Ruto.
Kenyatta’s two five-year terms end in 2022 and Ruto has already marketed himself both within the ruling Jubilee Party and the country as heir-apparent. Bad blood between the two men soured in January when Kenyatta reshuffled the cabinet without consulting his deputy.
Last week, he knifed key senate leaders allied to Ruto, and replaced them with his own supporters, a move the country can not desist from reading as a plan to curtail his deputy’s presidential bid.