Kenya's 19 Cabinet Secretaries sworn in at State House

By Brian Kimani, NAIROBI Kenya

Kenya’s nineteen Cabinet Secretaries who were appointed by President William Ruto have been sworn in on Thursday morning, August 8, as part of the broad-based government. 

 John Mbadi (Treasury)

President Ruto officially gazetted the appointment of 19 CSs in their respective dockets in line with Article 152 (2) of the Constitution which grants the head of state the power to nominate and appoint the CSs after approval of the National Assembly. 

The National Assembly's Committee on Appointments conducted a four-day vetting exercise to determine whether the CSs were fit to hold office. 

Thereafter, they submitted a report, approving all CSs save for Gender CS nominee Soi Langat. 

Cabinet Secretaries who received the Committee's nod include Kithure Kindiki (Interior), Soipan Tuya (Defence), 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) and John Mbadi (Treasury).

Other CSs 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) and Margaret Nyambura (ICT). 

While tabling the report before Parliament on Wednesday, National Assembly Majority Leader Kimani Ichung'wah said that Langat failed to demonstrate her knowledge of the docket she was nominated to. 

Ichung'wah pointed out that she did not adequately respond to issues that touched on the ministry such as Gender, Culture, Arts and Heritage. 

"Stella Soi Langat is a career civil servant who has extensive experience in public service but did not demonstrate an adequate understanding of the Gender docket to which she has been nominated and the committee saw her unsuitable for appointment to that docket," Ichung'wah said on Wednesday. 

East African Community Affairs (EAC) CS nominee Beatrice Askul Moe and Attorney General nominee Dorcas Oduor will be vetted on Friday, August 9.