On Thursday morning, August 8, nineteen Cabinet Secretaries appointed by President William Ruto were sworn into office as part of the president’s broad-based government.
The appointments were officially gazetted by President Ruto in accordance with Article 152(2) of the Constitution, which empowers the head of state to nominate and appoint CSs following the approval of the National Assembly.
The vetting process
The National Assembly’s Committee on Appointments conducted a rigorous four-day vetting exercise to evaluate the suitability of the CS nominees.
A report was subsequently submitted by the committee, approving all nominees except for Soi Langat, the Gender CS nominee.
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Approved Cabinet Secretaries
Cabinet Secretaries who received the Committee’s nod include:
Kithure Kindiki (Interior)
Soipan Tuya (defense)
Aden Duale (Environment)
Davis Chirchir (Transport)
Kipchumba Murkomen (Sports)
Rebecca Miano (Tourism)
Alfred Mutua (Labour)
Justin Muturi (Public Service)
Hassan Ali Joho (Mining and Blue Economy)
John Mbadi (Treasury)
Other CS include:
Opiyo Wandayi (Energy)
Wycliffe Oparanya (cooperatives and MSMEs)
Eric Muuga (Water)
Alice Wahome (Lands)
Debra Barasa (Health)
Andrew Karanja (Agriculture)
Salim Mvurya (trade)
Julius Ogamba (Education)
Margaret Nyambura (ICT)
Rejection of Gender CS Nominee:
However, the committee did not approve Soi Langat, the nominee for Gender CS. On Wednesday, National Assembly Majority Leader Kimani Ichung’wah explained that Langat failed to show enough knowledge about her nominated docket.
“Stella Soi Langat is a career civil servant with extensive experience in public service, but she did not demonstrate an adequate understanding of the gender docket to which she has been nominated,” Ichung’wah stated.
Upcoming Vetting
Meanwhile, the vetting for the East African Community Affairs (EAC) CS nominee, Beatrice Askul Moe, and Attorney General nominee, Dorcas Oduor, will take place on Friday, August 9.
With the new Cabinet Secretaries now sworn in, President Ruto’s administration is ready to tackle national challenges with a fresh team. Meanwhile, all eyes are on the upcoming vetting processes and the actions these new officials will take in their roles.