By Peter Mwibanda
Intellectuals Post — Sept. 7, 2025
NAIROBI, Kenya (IP)
Seven opposition-aligned Cabinet secretaries appointed in the latest government reshuffle are facing mounting criticism for allegedly cozying up to the administration.
This is raising doubts about the fate of youth-driven reform demands that helped pave their way into power.
The new appointees branded the “Broad-Based CSs” include John Mbadi, Opiyo Wandayi, Hassan Joho, Wycliffe Oparanya, Mutahi Kagwe, William Kabogo and Lee Kinyanjui.
Their selection, hailed as a gesture of inclusivity and national unity has drawn mixed reactions.
Younger Kenyans particularly Gen Z activists who staged months of nationwide protests earlier this year say the move amounts to sidelining their calls for real change.
“There is growing unease that the very individuals who rode the wave of youth-led discontent are now retreating into the political establishment,” said Peter Mwibanda, a legal analyst.
“Gen Zs are watching and they are not amused.”
From Protest to Power and Silence
Gen Z-led demonstrations over unemployment, corruption and police brutality rattled Kenya’s political elite in the first half of 2025.
The unrest forced resignations of senior officials and pressured the government into accommodating opposition figures in Cabinet.
But since assuming office, the new secretaries have remained largely silent on the issues that energized the protests, frustrating activists who see their rise as a product of youth sacrifice.
“It feels like a betrayal,” said Sheila Mbugua, 23, a protest organizer in Nairobi. “We didn’t protest just to see the same faces change chairs.”
Political Calculations
The Cabinet line-up has been described by analysts as a coalition of four Orange Democratic Movement stalwarts and three former governors from the Mt. Kenya region.
While the arrangement appears designed to shore up political stability, critics warn it is less about reform and more about elite accommodation.
“Legitimacy doesn’t come from crossing the aisle or shaking hands,” Mwibanda said.
“It comes from delivering on the demands of the people especially the youth who’ve already shown they’re willing to fight for their future.”
A Growing Disconnect
So far, the “Broad-Based CSs” have made few public statements addressing youth concerns.
Calls for dialogue with Gen Z activists and proposals for structural reforms remain unanswered, deepening fears that the Cabinet picks are prioritizing survival over transformation.
“They’re more interested in surviving in government than shaking it up,” said political science lecturer Dr. Angela Nduta.
“The danger is that they lose the very base that legitimized their appointment.”
What’s Next?
As Parliament resumes and the Cabinet settles in, the question remains whether the seven will emerge as agents of reform or blend into Kenya’s entrenched power-sharing system.
For Gen Z activists, the message is already clear: symbolic appointments are not enough.
