A screenshot of the claim on Facebook
This Facebook post, from an account with the username HP News, shared claims of a cabinet reshuffle on May 12, 2026. The caption then builds a highly detailed backstory, claiming that following a lengthy State House meeting involving ODM leader Oburu Oginga, a definitive decision was reached to transfer Cabinet Secretary Opiyo Wandayi due to “growing complaints from Luo Nyanza leaders regarding persistent power supply in the Nyanza region.
Background
After the 2024 protests against the Finance Bill, President William Ruto dissolved his entire Cabinet in July 2024 sparing only Prime CS Musalia Mudavadi. To stabilize the state and lower the political temperature, President Ruto nominated senior, top-tier leaders from the Orange Democratic Movement (ODM) into the Executive. This resulted in a formal power-sharing agreement; the broad-based government.
John Mbadi (ODM Chair) was appointed to the National Treasury; James Opiyo Wandayi (then-Ugunja MP and National Assembly Minority Leader) was given the Ministry of Energy and Petroleum; Wycliffe Oparanya and Ali Hassan Joho were brought in to head Cooperatives and Mining, respectively.
By March 2025, a 10-Point Agenda agreement was signed, anchoring the UDA-ODM partnership through the 2027 general election. Following the passing of opposition patriarch Raila Odinga, ODM’s central committee interim led by Senator Oburu Oginga reaffirmed that the party would stay in the broad-based framework to safeguard regional development interests and fulfill Odinga’s legacy of national dialogue.
Verification
The post appears to have coincided with actual, albeit minor, administrative changes within the Executive. President Ruto recently reshuffled senior state officials by reassigning several Principal Secretaries across various state departments. However, while the changes affected Principal Secretary portfolios, they did not involve any Cabinet Secretaries.
An assessment of current government operations and official communications refutes the narrative of a cabinet reassignment. Official records from the Ministry of Energy and Petroleum show that he is still fully engaged in his original docket. On June 3, 2026, at Kawi House, Nairobi, Wandayi held a press briefing with senior utility officials to address public utility concerns, confirming the withdrawal of a proposed electricity pricing review to keep residential electricity bills stable. In addition, he continues to oversee regional energy infrastructure development and national fuel supply directives, both of which are solely energy-related tasks.
The Ministry of Foreign and Diaspora Affairs is not vacant, nor has it changed leadership. The portfolio remains under the active management of Prime Cabinet Secretary Musalia Mudavadi. The Office of the President has issued no Executive Orders or official state communications altering this leadership structure.
Verdict
The claim that President Ruto is reassigning Energy Cabinet Secretary Opiyo Wandayi to the Foreign Affairs Ministry is FALSE.
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