Six Cabinet Secretaries, including Education docket nominee Amina Mohamed, survived the three-week scare that followed President Uhuru Kenyatta’s first announcement of his partial Cabinet.
Yesterday, seven of Amina’s colleagues were redeployed to foreign affairs as high commissioners, and ambassadors and representatives at the UN.
It came as a huge relief for the survivors last evening when the President announced his expanded cabinet to 22 members. National Treasury Cabinet Secretary Henry Rotich, Interior’s Fred Matiang’i, ICT’s Joe Mucheru, Transport’s James Macharia, Energy’s Charles Keter and Tourism’s Najib Balala were among the six who were assured of their jobs after the first round of changes.
Raychelle Omamo and Adan Mohamed emerged as the biggest winners in yesterday’s announcement after they were retained in their respective ministries, three weeks after Mr Kenyatta announced his partial Cabinet and said he had retained only six CSs.
Ms Mohamed, who was the CS for Foreign Affairs and International Trade where she was widely thought to have delivered, has been redeployed to the Education docket.
Her profile rose significantly during the failed push for Africa to exit the International Criminal Court (ICC), where President Kenyatta and his deputy William Ruto were facing charges of crimes against humanity.
Mohamed’s new ministry, however, runs one of the biggest budgets and could be viewed as having a direct impact on ordinary Kenyans.
Surprise comebacks
Eugene Wamalwa made a comeback yesterday, moving from the Water and Irrigation docket to Devolution and ASAL.
Sicily Kariuki, the former CS for Public Service, Youth and Gender Affairs also survived the axe, and was nominated to head the Health docket.
She will replace Dr Cleopa Mailu, who was moved, after tumultuous times at the Health ministry, and will now be considered for the position of Kenya’s Representative to the Permanent Mission of the United Nations in Geneva.
Former Environment CS Judy Wakhungu and her Agriculture counterpart Willy Bett were among those who were redeployed.
Prof Wakhungu was nominated as Ambassador to France and Bett as High Commissioner to India.
Jacob Kaimenyi, who served in the Lands ministry, will be Kenya’s representative to the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO) in Paris, France. Former Sports CS Hassan Wario has been sent to Austria as Ambassador, while Dan Kazungu heads to Tanzania.
Phylis Kandie who handled the Ministry of East Africa Cooperation as CS will represent Kenya in Belgium, Luxembourg and the European Union.
