PRESIDENT Uhuru Kenyatta and his deputy William Ruto are considering increasing the number of ministries to 20 instead of the 18 announced recently.
They are likely to name four more nominees to the Cabinet this week, two more than expected Two weeks ago Uhuru announced 16 Cabinet Secretary nominees but left vacant Interior and National Coordination, and Labour.
The President is apparently now keen to have the positions filled as soon as possible in order to free up Ruto who has been "acting" as the Interior CS.
In the last week, while Uhuru was in London and South Africa, Ruto doubled up as the acting President and supervised the Interior ministry.
Uhuru and Ruto both feel that the Interior ministry is too heavy for a single Cabinet Secretary. It puts together the former dockets of Internal Security, Provincial Administration, Immigration and Home Affairs.
The old Ministry of Internal Security and Provincial Administration was one of the country's most powerful ministries. The delay in naming nominees for the remaining positions is apparently because the two principals are yet to agree on how to distribute the positions.
With two positions left, sources say that while Uhuru wanted one for the Luhya and one for the Maasai, while Ruto wanted them to go to the Mijikenda and Maasai.
Musalia Mudavadi, who came third during in presidential election, has been poised to be named the Interior CS.
However, some URP strategists want a Mijikenda to take one of the remaining two positions, prompting Uhuru and Ruto to now consider increasing the number of ministries.
Mudavadi signed a post-election deal with Jubilee but some politicians in his UDF party have said that the agreement did not include a Cabinet slot.
One post to be filled by Ruto's United Republican Party may be taken over by a Maasai. A city banker and a former Treasurer at Narok County Council are the two people being mentioned.
Kenya Airways CEO Titus Naikuni is said to have declined the offer to join government as a Cabinet Secretary.The other position is supposed to be filled by The National Alliance.
The thinking is that a Mijikenda might be able to bring members of the Mombasa Republican Council to the fold. Former minister Chirau Mwakwere and his sister Mishi Masika Mwatsahu, High Commissioner to Pakistan, are under consideration.
A source close to State House said interviewing had finished and the nominees would be named at the end of the week. "Everything has been finalised and it was agreeable that the two tribes take the remaining positions," he said.
The Maasai had been given the post of State House Comptroller through the proposal of former Permanent Secretary Lawrence Lenayapa but they still wanted a Cabinet post since URP and Jubilee got many votes from the Maa people.
The Turkana also wanted a Cabinet post also but Ruto argued that Ekwe Ethuro was elected as the Senate Speaker which is a powerful post with a flag.
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