City Lawyer Moves to Court to Stop William Ruto From Hiring More Advisors, Halt Pay for Current 21
- City lawyer Vincent Lempaa Suyianka has filed an urgent petition to stop President William Ruto from appointing more advisors and to halt salaries for the ones already in office
- He argued that the advisory positions were created without a legal framework, public participation, or adherence to constitutional principles
- The number of Ruto’s advisors has grown to 21 within 10 months, raising concerns over billions in taxpayer-funded salaries for allegedly redundant roles
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Nancy Odindo, a TUKO.co.ke journalist, has over four years of experience covering Kenyan politics, news, and features for digital and print media.
Nairobi: Prominent city lawyer Vincent Lempaa Suyianka has filed an urgent petition in court seeking to bar President William Ruto from appointing any more presidential advisors.
Source: Facebook
Why Suyianka sued over Ruto's 'excess' advisors
In the petition, Suyianka asserts that there is no clear legal framework governing the number or structure of presidential advisors.
According to a report by K24, this lack of regulation, he claims, has generated a loophole that the president is using to unjustly expand the civil service with political appointees, many of whom allegedly duplicate the roles of the formal public service.
“These individuals are appointed without obedience to the values and principles of public service,” reads part of the court documents. “Since the Kenya Kwanza government took office after the 2022 General Election, the president has effectively created a parallel civil service.”
He further claims that Ruto's actions violate constitutional provisions, as the advisory roles were allegedly created outside the three established constitutional appointment frameworks.
There was no public participation, transparency, or consultation before the establishment and filling of these offices, the petition adds.
“The process lacked transparency and overlooked constitutional requirements for citizen involvement,” Suyianka asserts.
Suyianka also seeks a court order to compel the Cabinet Secretary for the National Treasury, John Mbadi, to halt the payment of salaries and allowances to the 21 already in office, pending the full hearing and determination of the case.
Source: Twitter
“Pending the hearing and determination of the petition, all the 21 interested parties should be suspended from receiving any salaries and allowances from the second respondent,” the notice read.
Who are the William Ruto's advisors?
Meanwhile, the number of presidential advisors under Ruto has grown within 10 months, with several appointed under what has been described as a broad-based exchange programme.
Notable individuals among the 21 presidential advisors include Moses Kuria, Monica Juma, Makau Mutua, David Ndii, Edward Kisiang’ani, Dominic Menjo, Joseph Boinnet, and Jaoko Oburu.
Others include Joe Ager, Henry Kinyua, Mohammed Hassan, Karisa Nzai, Ali Somane, Sylvester Kasuku, Abdi Guliye, Nancy Laibuni, Harriette Chiggai, Kennedy Ogeto, Augustine Cheruiyot, and Steven Otieno.
Citing Article 165(4) of the Constitution, Suyianka also asked the High Court to declare the petition as raising substantial legal questions and refer the matter to Chief Justice Martha Koome for the empanelment of a bench of judges to preside over the case.
How much do Ruto's advisors earn?
Meanwhile, while appearing before the National Assembly Administration and Internal Security Committee, State House Comptroller Katoo Ole Metito detailed the salary structure of Ruto’s advisors.
Ole Metito disclosed that the highest-paid advisors receive salaries equivalent to those of Cabinet secretaries and principal secretaries, while others are compensated based on their job group and expertise.
He noted that the lowest-paid advisors fall within job groups T, U, and V, earning up to KSh 170,000.
According to the Salaries and Remuneration Commission (SRC) circular for 2023/2024, a Cabinet secretary earns a basic salary of KSh 574,200, a house allowance of KSh 200,000, and a salary market adjustment of KSh 182,800.
Additionally, advisors in the same pay grade as CSs and PSs enjoy several perks, including medical insurance, official transport, airtime allowance, leave allowance, mortgage loans, and car loans.
Proofreading by Asher Omondi, copy editor at TUKO.co.ke.
Source: TUKO.co.ke
