Wamuzi News Ke
President William Ruto has dropped a political bombshell — abolishing one major State Department while creating seven powerful new ones in a sweeping executive order that takes effect immediately. Issued under Executive Order No. 1 of 2025, dated June 9, the president tore up the existing 2023 framework, ushering in a bold new administrative era aimed at redefining how the Executive branch operates.
“This Executive Order supersedes Executive Order No. 1 of 2023 issued in January 2023,” the statement from State House declares.The biggest casualty? The State Department for Performance and Delivery Management — completely scrapped.
Its responsibilities now fall directly under the Executive Office of the President in a move seen as centralizing power and streamlining oversight. “The State Department for Performance and Delivery Management is hereby wound up,” the order reads.
“The remaining functions shall be transferred to the Executive Office of the President.”But that’s not all. Ruto’s decree establishes seven brand-new State Departments, each with a distinct and strategic mission, signaling a major pivot in government priorities:
1. State Department for Coordination of the National Government
2. State Department for Research, Science, and Innovation
3. State Department for the Management of Public Investments and Assets
4. State Department for Special Programs
5. State Department for Aviation and Aerospace Development
6. Department of Children’s Services
7. State Department for Justice, Human Rights, and Constitutional Affairs. Each department will be led by a Principal Secretary — the Accounting Officer — reporting directly to the relevant Cabinet Secretary.
These departments have been distributed across ministries with specific mandates. For instance, the Aviation and Aerospace Department is now under the Ministry of Roads and Transport, while Children’s Services falls under Labour and Social Protection.
President Ruto didn’t stop there.His Executive Office has also been retooled to include key units such as:Presidential Economic Transformation SecretariatPresident’s Delivery Unit Strategy Delivery Unit Office of the Deputy Chief of Staff Office of the Chief of Staff and Head of Public Service New advisory offices have also been added — including those for Fiscal Affairs & Budget Policy and Economic Affairs — signaling a renewed focus on economic governance.
Despite the overhaul, the Cabinet will still consist of 22 ministries, each under a Cabinet Secretary tasked with strategic policy leadership. Principal Secretaries, as mandated by Article 155 of the Constitution, will continue serving as the accounting and administrative heads.
Some departments have undergone significant name and role changes. For example:The State Department for Internal Security and National Administration has now split into two separate entities:Internal Security National Government Coordination The State Department for Devolution has been renamed to include Regional Development — highlighting the administration’s intent to broaden regional integration efforts.
The order also emphasizes new national focus areas — from climate change and the digital economy, to youth empowerment, diaspora engagement, and public service reform — responsibilities now strategically distributed among several departments. “This Executive Order shall enter into force on June 5, 2025, and shall continue in force until otherwise directed by His Excellency the President,” it concludes.
Political analysts say this bold reorganization is designed to align government operations with the president’s long-term agenda of transformation, innovation, and high-efficiency delivery — but critics fear it could consolidate too much power under State House.One thing is clear: Kenya’s Executive structure has changed overnight — and the effects will be felt across every corner of the nation.
