Shut up, Mutua tells the speculative media

Published by Korir, api africanpress@getmail.no source.kbc.ke”The question, however is whether Dr Mutua will retain his position when the Grand coalition government is formed. Will ODM demand to have his head in the cold corridors out of power? It is understood that ODM men would like to see those who have been good supporters of the president being pushed into the cold.” API

Written By:Carol Gakii 

Gov’t denies cabinet claims

The government has dismissed reports appearing in a section of the media outlining the alleged new cabinet line-up.

Addressing the press Friday morning Government Spokesman Dr. Alfred Mutua said the reports were misleading and called on the media to stop speculating and wait for the big announcement on Sunday.

” The lists of Portfolio balance and mention of names of who will be included in the cabinet, that appear in today’s newspapers, are inaccurate, misleading and speculative. The lists published in various newspapers are fake. The Government considers whoever supplied the fake information to the media to be mischievous and one who intends to damage the agreement between President Mwai Kibaki and Hon. Raila Odinga with the aim of causing disharmony in the country.” He said.

On Thursday President Mwai Kibaki and Prime Minister designate Raila Odinga reached a compromise and agreed to have a 40-member cabinet, ending a two-week stalemate over the naming of a new government.

” It is also important to clarify that in yesterday’s meeting between President Kibaki and Hon. Raila Odinga, the names of who would be included in the Cabinet were not discussed. It should also be noted that the agreement is for formation of 40 Ministers and an equal number of Assistant Ministers.” Said Mutua.

The two said the cabinet will be named on Sunday and sworn in on Saturday April 12.

Mutua says those who are decrying the cost of an expanded Cabinet should be aware of two things.

1. Most of the new ministries are sub-divided from formerly existing ministries and therefore the budget and members of staff for those new ministries already exist and will be hived from the original ministry. This means that the Government budget allocation to ministries is already catered for.
2. In this time of healing, there is no price that is too high for our country to ensure peace, harmony, reconciliation, healing and stability that will spur and grow the economy and create even more wealth.

However, a section of the media has claimed that during the talks held Thursday PNU retained key ministries including Finance, Internal Security, Public Works, Justice and Constitutional Affairs, Information among others.

ODM is said to have gotten the Local Government, Foreign Affairs, Immigration, Transport, Roads and energy portfolios among others.

The naming of the new cabinet has been delayed since the signing of a deal between President Kibaki and Raila on a grand coalition with the two principals said to be consulting over the issue.

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Dr. Alfred N. Mutua, E.B.S – Public Communications Secretary   Profile Dr. Alfred N. Mutua is Kenya’s first Official Government Spokesperson and Public Communications Secretary (PCS). He was appointed on June 22, 2004 and was tasked with setting up a new office and communication system for the Republic of KenyaMutua’s career has been varied. He has been a Journalist and Filmmaker with 14 years experience in both Print and Broadcasting in Kenya, the United States (US), Australia and the United Arab Emirates. (UAE). He has worked and written for various Local and International papers as a Reporter, Columnist and Editor. His work has been published in various newspapers, including.The Daily Nation, East African Standard, The Sydney Morning Herald, The Billings Gazette, Spokesman Review, The Spokane African-American Voice (where he served as the founding Editor), Valley News-Herald and the East African. Dr. Mutua has also published extensively in Magazines and Journals. For the Daily Nation, Dr. Mutua wrote the popular column Msafiri (The Traveller – on social & political issues) for two years and has also written Commentaries touching on Communication and the nature of Kenya’s development. As a Journalist, he has covered many aspects of Communications including Speech Writing and Public Speaking. His area of expertise is Persuasion, Marketing and the use of Communication and Media for Development. He believes in people being empowered by Information such that they are able to develop themselves. As a Media Consultant, he has offered advice and performed publicity duties for groups such as Centre for Law & Research International (CLARION) and the Youth Agenda in Nairobi. The Government Spokesperson has also served as Consultant with Nation Broadcasting Division’s Nation TV in Nairobi. As a Film-maker, Mutua has written and produced work for various Private and Government agencies including the United States Government Wildlife and Refuge Department. In 1993, Mutua directed the film “Indiscretion,” which was awarded The National Huckleberry Film Festival second place trophy in Nashville, Tennessee. In March, 2004, he released the first feature film made in the UAE, “And the Desert Smiled” which was filmed in Dubai and its environs. He wrote, produced and directed the film, which premiered at Century Cinemas in Dubai and was launched by UAE’s H.E Sheikh Nahayan. In 1997, he produced a documentary, “An African in America.” In 1998, he produced and directed another documentary titled, “Housing as a Human Rights Issue,” for UNIV-Kenya. The film won the Best Production award at the UNIV International Conference in Rome, Italy. Dr. Mutua has worked as a foreign correspondent for Australia’s leading current affairs program Dateline on SBS Television. His interviews and documentaries have featured Presidents and various International personalities. For example, he was the first to conduct a TV interview with President Joseph Kabila of the Democratic Republic of Congo, in Kinshasa, after Joseph Kabila’s father, Laurent Kabila, was assassinated. In 1996, Mutua interned as a Researcher and Reporter with an affiliate of the American Public Broadcasting Corporation’s Jim Lehrer Newshour. He later collaborated with KREM2 TV, a CBS affiliate, and continued producing documentaries. His skills include scriptwriting, producing, directing, camera operation and editing – both analog and digital (Final Cut Pro & Media 100). He has also developed his on-camera talent through his extensive Public Speaking ventures. In 1994, for example, he was one of the top speakers at the American Interstate Oratory session in Alaska, where he presented a speech on Human Rights issues. He covered the Sydney 2000 Olympics for Nation Media Group and produced and presented three TV segments, 22 radio segments and numerous newspaper articles. Mutua is computer literate on both PC and Mac, and conversant with Adobe PhotoShop, Quark Express, Ventura, CorelDraw, Illustrator, Excel, Adobe PageMaker and Web Design Programs. In Australia, he undertook Communication projects for Telstra’s Pacific Access, Minter Ellison Law Firm and as a Communications Officer for WorkVentures Company Ltd. Born on August 22, 1970, Mutua holds a Bachelor of Arts (BA) in Journalism from Whitworth College in the United States (US), a Masters of Science in Communications (MS) from Eastern Washington University and a Doctorate in Communication and Media from the University of Western Sydney. He has lectured in Kenya (Daystar University), the US, Australia, and recently served as an Assistant Professor in the College of Communication and Media Sciences, Zayed University, Dubai. He has conducted extensive research on the use of Media for democracy and development and before his appointment was conducting funded research on the “Voice of Arab Journalists,” for a book. He has travelled extensively in Africa, the Americas, Canada, Europe, Asia, Oceania and the Middle East. He is proficient in English, Swahili, Kamba and is working on Arabic and French. Mutua’s ancestors hail from Makueni and Machakos Districts in Kenya. He is married. amutua@comms.go.ke

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African Press International – api