President William Ruto revealed on Wednesday, April 2, that he is in talks with former Cabinet Secretary Peter Munya, who served in ex-President Uhuru Kenyatta’s government, and former Agriculture CS Mithika Linturi, who served in the current regime, about a comeback into government.
The revelation came on the back of a request by Meru Governor Isaac Mutuma, who beseeched Ruto while on his Mt Kenya development tour in Meru, to incorporate the two leaders from Meru into his broad-based government.
“There are senior leaders here in Meru, who are even members of the Njuri Ncheke, that we respect very much. One is Peter Munya, and the other is your very good friend, Francis Mithika Linturi. In that broad-based government, the one that has all our friends, leaders across the country, Mithika Linturi and Peter Munya, should enter in there,” Mutuma expressed.
“He (Governor Mutuma) has explained to me that there are two leaders from this region: Peter Munya and my friend Mithika Linturi. These two leaders are already in talks with me, and we have a plan. Relax, everything is in order,” Ruto responded.
The two leaders have been out in the political cold due to different reasons, but Ruto, despite not divulging much, seemingly indicated that they are set for a return to government.
Munya, the leader of the Party of National Unity (PNU), was one of the principals in the Azimio la Umoja-One Kenya coalition that suffered defeat at the hands of Ruto’s Kenya Kwanza alliance in the 2022 general elections.
However, he became a victim of the ‘handshake’ between Ruto and former Prime Minister Raila Odinga that saw leaders allied to the latter incorporated into government. Despite rumours of him being a beneficiary of this partnership, nothing concrete materialised, leaving Munya outside the government.
Before that, Munya, the first governor of Meru, had occupied various roles as a Cabinet Secretary in Uhuru’s administration. From January 2018 to July 2019, Munya was the CS for the East African Community and Northern Corridor Development.
He was later shifted to the Ministry of Industry, Trade, and Cooperatives, where he served from July 2019 to January 2020. Munya’s role in the Uhuru era culminated in a role as the CS Agriculture, Livestock, Fisheries, and Cooperatives from January 2020 to October 2022.
On the other hand, Linturi was a casualty of Ruto’s decision to dissolve the Cabinet in the wake of the Gen Z-led July protests, where he served as Agriculture CS.
Before then, Linturi had encountered a turbulent tenure at the Ministry that witnessed a major fertiliser scandal that left a huge blot on him and Ruto’s administration in general.
Even so, since his exit, Linturi has been actively engaging in political activities, expressing loyalty to the current administration, reportedly planning a gubernatorial bid, and providing strategic advice to political figures.
Source: kENYANS.CO.KE