Matiang'i Attends Ruto's First Cabinet Meeting [PHOTOS]

Interior Cabinet Secretary Fred Matiang'i has made his first public appearance since President William Ruto's inauguration and the subsequent deletion of his official Twitter account.

The outgoing CS had attended Ruto's first Cabinet meeting chaired at State House on Tuesday, September 27.

Agriculture CS, Peter Munya was also present at the meeting, despite previously missing an event where Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua flagged subsidised fertilisers. 

President William Ruto chairing a cabinet meeting at State House on Tuesday, September 27, 2022. /PSCU

"President William Ruto is currently chairing his first Cabinet meeting at State House, Nairobi," State House announced. 

DP Gachagua, CSs Najib Balala (Tourism) Raychelle Omamo (Foreign Affairs), Eugene Wamalwa (Defence), Joe Mucheru (ICT) Ambassador Amina Mohamed (Sports), Attorney General Kihara Kariuki and Head of Public Service, Joseph Kinyua were present. 

Agriculture CS Peter Munya at President Ruto's first cabinet meeting. /TWITTER

Spot checks by Viral Tea at the time revealed that Matiang'i's account was nowhere to be found, even on search suggestions.

The deletion came at the same time as President Ruto's swearing-in ceremony and came after he wrote his humble farewell letter to the Inspector General of Police, Deputy Inspectors General of Police, Director of Criminal Investigations, Commissioners General of Prisons, Director General, Kenya Coast Guard Services, Director General, Immigration and Regional Commissioners.

Matiang'i was one of Ruto's top rivals and had previously claimed that the fifth president would be defeated in the August 9 polls, his claims backed by his ICT counterpart, Joe Mucheru.

The two alleged that Ruto's opponent, Raila Odinga, would win by garnering 60 per cent of the votes. Mucheru claimed that the data was issued by intelligence teams which undertook a popularity survey ahead of the August 9 polls. 

Munya, on his end, has been crisscrossing the Mt Kenya region rallying voters in the vote-rich region to support Raila in order to defeat Ruto. Ruto, however, after assuming power, reiterated that he will work with all leaders to revive the economy and lower the cost of living. 

He also maintained that Raila and former President Uhuru Kenyatta were his competitors rather than enemies as many Kenyans were made to believe.

Ruto moved to cut down some of the privileges accorded to Cabinet Secretaries and Principal Secretaries who had served in former President Uhuru Kenyatta's government, which includes being barred from travelling abroad without permission from the President, no matter the nature of the visit.

"It is, therefore, reiterated that the tenure of Cabinet Secretaries and Principal Secretaries currently in Office will only lapse on appointment and swearing-in of a successor Cabinet Secretary or Principal Secretary as the case may be by the Head of State and Government; or upon a reorganization of Government by His Excellency the President that affects a particular docket.

"Foreign Travel by Cabinet Secretaries and Principal Secretaries is further suspended unless as sanctioned by the Head of State and Government," the statement signed by Head of Public Service Joseph Kinyua read in part.

The meeting comes amidst mounting pressure on Ruto to form the next Cabinet. He led the CSs in prayers before settling down to discuss key issues especially concerning the economy, insecurity and Competency-Based Curriculum (CBC).

CS George Magoha at President Ruto's first cabinet meeting. /TWITTER