A political analyst said President Uhuru Kenyatta was operating inside a system shaped by corruption, entrenched bureaucracy and the political deals that produced his Cabinet.
In comments attributed to the Star, the analyst argued that corruption reaches into routine government work, saying even simple procurement can be distorted by people around the President looking for quick gains. He said the problem is not limited to money, but also includes a civil service culture that resists change.
According to the analyst, the public service often continues with old habits even when leadership changes. He pointed to ordinary budgeting and purchasing practices as examples of systems that keep running the same way regardless of who is in office.
He also said Uhuru’s Cabinet was assembled as a political settlement, with appointments shaped by coalition politics and ethnic balancing. In his view, that makes it difficult for the President to move against Cabinet Secretaries or Principal Secretaries without triggering claims that one side is being targeted.
The analyst said this dynamic has left the President constrained, especially in the fight against corruption. He added that arrests and investigations are quickly turned into political disputes, citing the arrest of Deputy Chief Justice Philomena Mwilu as an example that was framed as a NASA issue, while other cases are linked to Deputy President William Ruto’s camp.
He concluded that because many senior officials were appointed through political compromise, any attempt to remove them would also be read politically. The analyst spoke to the Star.
