By Daniel Otieno, Nairobi
President William Ruto has nominated former President Uhuru Kenyatta allies to plum jobs in his Cabinet, signaling a shift in leadership just five months after a previous reshuffle following the Gen-Z protests against the Finance Bill 2024 that he dropped.
Ruto also appointed Kipchumba Murkomen-his blue eyed boy to the plum Interior and National Administration post, a position that fell vacant the elevation of Prof Kithure Kindiki to Deputy President after the impeachment of Geoffrey Rigathi Gachagua.
The reshuffling involved the nomination, appointment, and reassignment of various government officials, with several familiar faces returning to prominent positions.
Among the significant changes, Mutahi Kagwe, who served as the Cabinet Secretary for Health during the Jubilee administration, was appointed the new Cabinet Secretary for Agriculture and Livestock Development, taking over from Andrew Karanja.
Lee Kinyanjui, the former governor of Nakuru County, was named the Cabinet Secretary for Investments, Trade, and Industry, while William Kabogo, a former Kiambu governor, was appointed as the Cabinet Secretary for Information, Communications, and Digital Economy.
Salim Mvurya is the new Cabinet Secretary for Youth Affairs, Creative Economy, and Sports.
In another major move, the President nominated Ms. Margaret Nyambura Ndung’u to serve as Kenya’s Ambassador and High Commissioner to Ghana.
Similarly, Ababu Namwamba, who previously served as the Sports Cabinet Secretary, was nominated as the Permanent Representative of Kenya to the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) and the United Nations Office at Nairobi (UNON).
In diplomatic reshuffles, Ambassador Dorothy Angote was appointed as High Commissioner to Zimbabwe, while Dr. Andrew Karanja was nominated for an ambassadorial position in Brazil.
Dr Karanja had served as CS Agriculture and Ms Nyambura as CS ICT for just five months. The two were brought into Cabinet by Gachagua.
The reshuffling also extended to state corporations, with Ndiritu Muriithi named Chairperson of the Kenya Revenue Authority, Anthony Mwaura appointed Chairperson of the Kenya Rural Roads Authority, and Kembi Gitura becoming Chairperson of the Kenyatta University Teaching, Referral, and Research Hospital.
Despite these high-level changes, the reshuffle has drawn mixed reactions from the public. Many Kenyans expressed dissatisfaction, criticizing the appointments as a continuation of narrow political choices that favor insiders rather than selecting individuals based on merit and performance.
Critics argue that the President should have focused more on replacing underperforming ministers and incorporating individuals with more expertise into key positions rather than making mere reshuffles. Nonetheless, the nominations are now subject to parliamentary review and approval.
