Petition Filed Seeking Removal of President Ruto’s Advisors Over Alleged Unconstitutionality
President William Ruto may soon be compelled to dismiss most—or even all—of his advisors if the courts find that their appointments violate the Constitution and exceed the legal limits of his authority.
This development follows a petition filed on Tuesday by prominent lawyer Suyianka Lempaa. The petition challenges the legality of the growing number of advisors appointed by the President.
Lempaa argued that these advisory roles are not established by any existing law and therefore lack a constitutional basis. She further claimed that the roles were created primarily to reward loyal allies rather than being based on merit or qualifications.
In her detailed petition, Lempaa raised serious concerns about the specific duties of the more than 20 individuals serving as advisors to the President. She also questioned the process used to select and appoint them, as well as their total cost to taxpayers.
According to recent reports, the collective wage bill for these advisors is estimated to be close to one billion shillings annually, sparking public outrage over government spending.
This legal move comes at a time when public frustration is growing over the expanding number of advisors at State House, especially considering President Ruto’s previous commitment to cut back on government spending.
In 2023, amid widespread anti-government protests against the controversial Finance Bill, Ruto publicly promised to reduce the number of his advisors by 50% as part of broader austerity measures.
However, despite these assurances, President Ruto has continued to add more names to his advisory team. Just last week, he appointed former Turkana North MP and former East African Legislative Assembly (EALA) member Christopher Doye Nakuleu as his new Senior Political Advisor.
That appointment came shortly after the surprise selection of Prof. Makau Mutua—a longtime ally of opposition leader Raila Odinga—as Ruto’s Senior Advisor on Constitutional Affairs.
These new appointments have increased the total number of advisors surrounding the President to 21, sparking concerns over bloated bureaucracy and possible duplication of roles.
The advisors, who are drawn from a wide range of sectors, hold various titles and responsibilities.
Among the current list of President Ruto’s advisors are:
- Prof. Makau Mutua – Senior Advisor on Constitutional Affairs
- Moses Kuria – Senior Economic Advisor
- David Ndii – Chair of the President’s Council of Economic Advisors
- Monica Juma – National Security Advisor
- Dominic Menjo – Advisor on Food Security and Animal Production
- Edward Kisiang’ani – Senior Advisor and Member of the Council of Economic Advisors
- Joseph Boinnet – Deputy National Security Advisor
- Jaoko Oburu – Special Advisor on Youth Economic Empowerment
- Silvester Kasuku – Governance Advisor
- Harriette Chiggai – Advisor on Women’s Rights
- Abdi Guliye – Advisor on Livestock and Rangeland Management
- Nancy Laibuni – Associate Member of the Council of Economic Advisors
- Kennedy Ogeto – Senior Legal Advisor
- Augustine Cheruiyot – Senior Advisor and Head of the Presidential Economic Secretariat
- Henry Kinyua – Advisor on Food Security
- Joe Ager – Advisor on Governance
- Karisa Nzai – Political Advisor
- Ali Somane – Advisor on Security Affairs in the Office of the National Security
- Mohammed Hassan – Advisor in the Council of Economic Advisors
- Steven Otieno – Advisor on Cooperatives
- Christopher Nakuleu – Senior Political Advisor
The lawyer’s petition calls for a full judicial review into these appointments, urging the court to determine whether the creation of such advisory roles was consistent with constitutional principles and legal statutes.
If the court agrees with Lempaa’s arguments, the President could be directed to dissolve the advisory positions altogether.
This case has attracted widespread public interest, with many Kenyans watching closely to see whether the judiciary will uphold the constitutional limits on executive power, especially in light of the country’s ongoing economic struggles and repeated calls for lean governance.
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