Ruto Addresses Micromanager Label
President William Ruto has reacted to a portion of Kenyan citizens who have described him as overly authoritative and characterized his approach to governance as excessive involvement in small details.
This comes after the recent occurrence at State House, Nairobi, where Cabinet Secretaries (CSs), Principal Secretaries (PSs), and heads of parastatals signed their performance contracts. During the event, the President took action against two Cabinet members who arrived late by locking them out and requesting a formal written explanation for their tardiness.
While certain individuals have praised him for his timeliness and straightforwardness, both his subordinates and his critics have expressed that his leadership approach makes some of his team members feel uneasy.
During a Sunday interview on Inooro TV, Ruto explained that his strong emphasis on guiding the work of those under his leadership stems from his genuine desire to witness their achievements.
He mentioned that over his ten months in office, he has maintained a positive and productive working rapport with the individuals in his Cabinet.
“I have had a very good working relationship with my cabinet secretaries so far. We are in harmony and have been meeting to ensure they succeed. Some have labeled me a micromanager or being very hands-on. But the reason I am very particular is that when a PS or CS fails, I have failed too,” the president said.
“The work they are doing is the responsibility Kenyans gave me. I have an interest in making sure every minister or PS succeeds; their success is my success and it is the success of Kenya.”
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One of the individuals who has expressed disapproval of Ruto’s approach to leadership is Kipruto arap Kirwa, a former Member of Parliament for Charangany. On Wednesday, Kirwa remarked that the President dedicates a significant amount of time to excessively controlling a specific department, resulting in a situation where ministers are constantly anxious.
During a panel discussion on K24, Kirwa, a former Vice Chairperson of Ruto’s UDA Party, expressed that a significant portion of the Cabinet Secretaries in Ruto’s administration are essentially politicians who will require a process of transformation to excel in their roles as effective performers.
“When you are under perpetual fear, you’re not likely to make the right decision because he appointed a team of politicians,” he told the TV station.
During the event where the performance contracts were being signed on Tuesday, President Ruto, displaying strong frustration, stated that he cannot approve of leaders who have been given the responsibility to serve the Kenyan people being consistently late.
GossipA2Z.com has confirmed that Kithure Kindiki from the Ministry of Interior and Moses Kuria from the Ministry of Trade were not present.
“I don’t know whether it is this performance contracts that have been going on for 20 years that many people maybe mistakenly think that it is a ritual and that is why people resort to the old incompetent excuses that there was traffic for them not to be in the most important public function,” President Ruto said at the event.
“We have a job because we have a contract, if you cannot keep time with your employer, you have basically dismissed yourself, it is just as simple as that.”
President Ruto is implementing various actions to ensure a transparent and responsible administration, including the implementation of performance agreements.
Additional steps involve his suggestion to modify the Standing Orders, aiming to enable the summoning of ministers to the Parliament. This would allow them to face rigorous questioning about their performance directly in the House.
Ruto Addresses Micromanager Label
