We are grateful, new Cabinet nominees tell Uhuru and Ruto

Two of the three new Cabinet Secretary nominees have expressed gratitude to President Uhuru Kenyatta and his Deputy William Ruto for including them in the new-look Cabinet.

Friday, Director of Public Prosecutions Keriako Tobiko thanked the President for his nomination, pledging to work hand in hand with his colleagues to deliver the pre-election pledges made by the Jubilee leadership.

“I say a big thank you to President Kenyatta for the appointment. It is a great honour for the Head of State to consider me to be a member of his Cabinet. I am ready to drive the development agenda for Kenya,” said Mr Tobiko.

Former Marsabit Governor Ukur Yattani told the Saturday Standard that his appointment caught him by surprise. He pledged to work towards delivering the mandate and upholding the legacy of President Kenyatta.

“I am very grateful to the President and his deputy for my nomination which is an honour not only to me but also to the people of the northern part of the country. I promise to work very hard to deliver on the mandate and preserve the President’s legacy,” he said.

Yattani, who has a Master of Arts in Public Administration and Public Policy from the University of York in the United Kingdom, began his career in 1992 as a civil servant by joining the provincial administration as a district officer where he served for eight years.

He was promoted to senior district commissioner in 2002 and served in seven different regions before resigning in 2006 to vie for North Horr parliamentary by-election. He won and succeeded MP Dr Bonaya Godana, who had died in a plane crash.

Friday, Yattani said he learnt of the news of his nomination from friends who called him to congratulate him as soon as the President read out his name in the televised address from State House.

“Being picked from a crowded field of competent individuals is a great honour, and I will endeavour to do my best in the task allocated,” he said.

When he was MP, Yattani served as assistant minister in the Ministry of Science and Technology in Mwai Kibaki’s regime. Apart from his long service in the civil service, Yattani has worked in the private sector as the managing director of Diraya General Construction Company.

Between June 2009 and September 2012, he served as Kenyan Ambassador to Austria. This position in the diplomatic corps gave Amb Yattani accreditation to Hungary, Slovakia and Slovenia.