Former Member of Parliament Wilson Sossion has backed President William Ruto’s creation of seven new Principal Secretary (PS) positions, dismissing concerns over the rising cost to taxpayers. The move has intensified scrutiny on the Kenya Kwanza administration, particularly regarding its growing wage bill amid economic struggles.
Last Thursday, Ruto established seven new state departments, increasing the total number of PSs to 51. The cost of maintaining these officials is estimated at Ksh.765 million annually. Despite the financial strain, Sossion insists the expansion will enhance service delivery by allowing state departments to operate more efficiently.
“If you have more hands doing different jobs more effectively, the better,” Sossion argued on Citizen TV’s Daybreak program on Tuesday. “The more you split and dedicate responsibilities to different experts, the better.”
He further explained that the current structure, in which 21 cabinet secretaries oversee various ministries with only two or three PSs each, is unmanageable given the size and complexity of Kenya’s governance structure. “It becomes difficult because our ministries are large and complex, with many programs running simultaneously. The entry of more PSs is a big relief,” he added.
The newly formed state departments include the State Department for Public Investments and Assets Management (Cyrell Odede), National Government Coordination (Ahmed Ibrahim), Justice, Human Rights, and Constitutional Affairs (Judith Pareno), Science, Research, and Innovation (Abdulrazak Shaukut), and Aviation and Aerospace Development (Teresiah Mbaika). Others are the State Department for Special Programmes (Ismael Madey) and Children Welfare Services (Carren Ageng’o).
Ruto’s government has faced financial difficulties since taking office, primarily due to high debt-servicing costs following a spree of domestic and external borrowing. Public services such as healthcare and education remain underfunded, while the president’s recent tax increase efforts through a controversial finance bill led to nationwide protests and the bill’s eventual withdrawal.
Critics argue that Ruto’s promise to cut government spending has been contradicted by the continued expansion of his administration. With the country grappling with economic hardship, the question remains whether increasing the number of PSs will lead to better service delivery or simply add to the financial burden on taxpayers.
