Ruto suspends decision to hire 50 CASs

President William Ruto has suspended the decision to fill the positions of Chief Administrative Secretaries (CASs).

The decision is among several actions Ruto said his administration will take with immediate effect towards the realisation of the new Budget.

Addressing a press conference at State House, Nairobi, Ruto said his administration is committed to implementing and aligning government expenditure with the consequences of the withdrawal of the Finance Bill, 2024.

“The consequence of withdrawing the Finance Bill is a reduction of our revenue targets by Sh346 billion,” the President said.

He said the National Treasury has been assessing the adverse impact of either reducing the budget by the entire Sh346 billion or borrowing the full amount.

“Cutting the entire amount would significantly and drastically affect the delivery of critical government services, while borrowing would increase our fiscal deficit by a margin that would have significant repercussions on many other sectors, including interest rates and exchange rates,” Ruto explained.

Ruto nominated 50 CASs to perform various duties and responsibilities that he expected to enhance service delivery and policy implementation.

The nomination of the 50 CASs elicited a range of reactions, with some hailing it as a move that will improve efficiency and inclusivity and others condemning it as a waste of public funds.

Responsibilities of CASs include responding to issues/questions touching on the portfolio assigned to the office, providing liaison with the National Assembly and Senate, providing liaison with county governments on matters of concurrent mandate, providing inter-ministerial /sectoral co-ordination and representing the Cabinet Secretary at any meeting as instructed.

Nonetheless, a three-judge bench comprising Justices Hedwig Ong’udi, Kanyi Kimondo and Aleem Visram found that the law was not complied with in the establishment of the office.