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State denies mandatory 14-day cabinet leave is linked to reshuffle


The Head of Public Service James Kinyua has dismissed speculation that the 14-day leave granted to all Cabinet Secretaries and Permanent Secretaries is paving way for a looming cabinet reshuffle.

Kinyua instead indicated, in a statement released on Sunday, that the move to grant the senior civil servants a working leave all at once will enable them to recharge.

“It is important to underscore that Members of Cabinet and their colleagues across the Senior Ranks of the Executive do not enjoy ‘leave’ in the traditional sense,” he explained.

He added: “Accordingly, His Excellency the President is convinced that short Cabinet Working Recess will enable Cabinet to deliver on its mandate with renewed energy whilst being accorded an opportunity to reconnect with their families and our shared heritage.”

President Uhuru Kenyatta on Friday directed all Cabinet Secretaries (CSs), Principal Secretaries (PSs) and Cabinet Administrative Secretaries (CASs) to proceed on a compulsory 14-day leave starting Monday, triggering speculation of a major reorganisation in his government to incorporate members of oppositions parties led by ODM following the infamous handshake between Uhuru andRaila Odinga.

On Saturday, Public Service Cabinet Secretary Margaret Kobia confirmed that they had been asked to “have some rest” during what she referred to as a “working recess.”

“Sometimes you take a break,” she told the Sunday Nation. “People will continue working but there are no formal meetings for the next two weeks.”