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President Uhuru Kenyatta named his cabinet on Friday 26th January introducing eight new faces to his cabinet.
The President also created 22 new Chief Administrative Secretary (CAS) posts under every ministry. The CAS will be responsible for helping the CS to better coordinate the affairs of their respective ministries.
Following his earlier statement that saw him retain only six cabinet secretaries, the President has, however, made changes to the names that were not included in his previous six-man list and brought back some of those who served in the previous cabinet.
This has seen Raychelle Omamo, Mwangi Kiunjuri, Adan Mohammed, Eugene Wamalwa, Amina Mohammed and Sicily Kariuki bounce back after being dropped from the initial list of retained Cabinet Secretaries.
Announcing the creation of the new post of CAS, the President indicated that the CAS will be second in command in the ministries as they will be coordinating work by the state departments headed by Principal Secretaries. It is arguable that the creation of the CAS positions have re-introduced the positions of assistant ministers as the functions are similar.
It is, however, notable that the positions of CAS have mainly been slotted to politicians allied to the Jubilee Party and those who supported President Uhuru’s re-election but lost in their political bids.
Some of the notable names nominated for the newly created position are former Nairobi Women Rep Rachel Shebesh who lost to ODM’s Esther Passaris for CAS Ministry of Public Service; Former Budalangi MP who lost to ODM’s Raphael Wanjala Ababu Namwamba for CAS Foreign Affairs; former Kisii Senator Chris Obure who lost to ODM’s James Ongwae in the Kisii gubernatorial election nomated for CAS Ministry of Transport; former West Pokot Governor Simon Kachapin who lost to KANU’s John Lomyangapuo for CAS Education.
Also in the list for CAS posts are former Kisumu Central MP Ken Obura, Isiolo gubernatorial aspirant Abdul Bahari and former Kilifi North MP Gideon Mungaro.
Other than the CAS, the cabinet is also dotted with new faces nominated for various CS slots. Peter Munya, former Meru Governor is nominated for CS East African Community, and Jubilee Party Secretary General Raphael Tuju nominated for CS without portfolio.
Others include Rashid Achesa for CS Sports and Heritage; Margaret Kobia CS Public Service, Youth and Gender; Simon Chelugui for Water and Sanitation, Farida Karoney CS Lands; and Monica Juma CS Foreign Affairs.
Keriako Tobiko who was included in the previous list is nominated for CS Environment and Forest, John Munyes CS Petroleum and Mining and former Marsabit Governor Ukur Yattani as CS Labour and Social Protection.
