Kenya's President William Ruto signaled cabinet sackings could be in the offing after some ministers missed out on a scheduled signing of performance contracts.
Ministers and senior government officials were among those locked out of State House i the capital Nairobi on Tuesday after arriving late for the event, according to local media outlets
"We have a job because we have a contract. If you cannot keep time with your employer, you have basically dismissed yourself. It's just as simple as that," President Ruto said.
"If you do not take this performance contracting seriously it means we do not take the contract with the people of Kenya on performance seriously," he added
Over the last 20 years, Kenyan state officials have been signing such contracts as a measure to gauge the performance of their ministries and state agencies.
Ruto has gained a reputation of being a stickler for time and was visibly upset by the lateness of his ministers at an event he described as " an important public function".
He also scolded state officials who "resort to the old incompetent excuses" that they were caught up in traffic.
Kenya's capital Nairobi is notorious for its traffic congestion but cabinet ministers enjoy traffic clearance privileges and police escorts.
"For those who came late who are members of the executive I will be expecting a written explanation and it should not include matters of traffic," the president ordered.
