Ababu Namwamba's name stood out among others in the proposed list of 22 cabinet secretaries announced by President William Ruto on Tuesday, September 27.
The former Budalangi Member of Parliament was nominated as the Cabinet Secretary for Sports and Youth Affairs, awaiting parliamentary vetting, approval and appointment.
As the immediate former Chief Administrative Secretary(CAS) of the Foreign Affairs ministry, it was anticipated that he may be appointed as the CS but the docket was allocated to former Machakos governor Alfred Mutua.
In the run up to the August elections, when Ruto unveiled his dream team, tasked with delivering nothing but victory, Namwamba was given the Foreign Affairs docket.
So, was the former ODM Secretary General shortchanged?
Nafula Kisiangani, a political analyst noted that the allocation of positions in the cabinet was aimed at balancing the political matrix.
“Considering that some ministries are weighty, it would not be fair to appoint Musalia Mudavadi as the Prime Cabinet Secretary and appoint Ababu Namwamba as the CS Foreign Affairs,” she explained.
She added that the president had several factors to consider before allocating seats. Nafula noted that the slots needed to represent all the regions in the country.
Another political analyst and an expert in International Relations, Prof Macharia Munene, opined thatDr Alfred Mutua is suited for the position due to the time he served as government Spokesperson in the late Mwai Kibaki’s administration.
“I believe the president had his reasons when making the appointments. I believe Mutua is a sober leader who represented Kibaki in a good way.”
“Also, in his first week in office, the president made a blunder to rescind the Sahrawi Arab Democratic Republic. If Ababu Namwamba was among the advisors, it would explain why he missed the slot,” he said.
He added that the weighty Foreign Affairs docket requires a stable leader who can represent the nation in tough diplomatic positions.
Conclusively, constitutional lawyer Charles Kanjama said that the appointment was based on the qualifications of each politician.
"Despite him serving in the Foreign Affairs ministry, it is time to give someone else the chance to serve. It is okay to switch leaders from various fields," he stated.
Namwamba holds a Master of Laws Degree from American University, Washington College of Law, Washington D.C and a Diploma in Legal Practice, Kenya School of Law. He has a Bachelor of Laws (LLB) Degree from the University of Nairobi.
On the other hand, Dr Mutua, who served as Machakos Governor between 2013 and 2022, holds a Doctorate Degree in Communication from the University of Western Sydney in Australia and a Master of Science in Communication from Eastern Washington University.
