Notable on the list of nominees unveiled on Friday afternoon include Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Internal Security Mutea Iringo (Interior Ministry, Transport Permanent Secretary Karanja Kibicho for the Foreign Affairs and Kenya Power’s Joseph Njoroge for the Energy Ministry/FILE
NAIROBI, Kenya, June 7 – There were no questions or profiles read out as President Uhuru Kenyatta unveiled his Principal Secretary nominees in less than 10 minutes.
President Kenyatta named 26 nominees, who if approved by Parliament, will head various departments in the 18 Ministries that make up President Kenyatta’s cabinet.
There was a mix of old and new faces among the nominees with only two immediate former Permanent Secretaries making the cut.
Most notable perhaps is Mutea Iringo who remains a department head in the Ministry of Interior and Coordination of National Government.
Iringo, who has been nominated to head the Interior department, has been nominated to the same Ministry as Josephta Mukobe who has been nominated to the Coordination of the Presidency department.
The only other immediate former Permanent Secretary on the list of 26 Principal Secretary nominees is Engineer Karanja Kibicho who was in the Ministry of Transport but has now been nominated to the Foreign Affairs Ministry.
The nomination of Kenya Power Managing Director Engineer Joseph Njoroge to the Ministry of Energy and Petroleum is sector specific as is the nomination of the Kenya Railways Managing Director Nduva Muli to the department of Transport.
Another notable nomination is that of Kenyatta National Hospital Chief Executive Officer Richard Lesiyampe to the Environment and Natural Resources Ministry.
Also of note is that another Ambassador and more importantly, another woman, has been nominated to the Ministry of Defence; Monica Juma, if approved by Parliament, will work together with Cabinet Secretary Raychelle Omamo.
Notable absentees include the immediate former Information and Communication Permanent Secretary Bitange Ndemo whose docket has gone to Joseph Musuni Tiampaty.
Seven of President Kenyatta’s nominees are women, just falling short of the one-third gender threshold required by the Constitution.
The disabled are also represented in President Kenyatta’s list of Principal Secretary nominees by Josephta Mukombe.
President Kenyatta has called on the National Assembly Speaker, Justin Muturi, to fast track the vetting of the Principal Secretary nominees to enable them get to work as soon as possible.
Full List of the nominees:
1 Land — Mariamu El Maawy
2 Industrialisation and Enterprise Development — Dr Wilson Songa
3 Co-ordination — Josephta Mukobe
4 Energy and Petroleum — Eng Joseph K Njoroge
5 Science and Technology — Prof Colletta Akinyi Suda
6 Water — James Teko Lopoyetum
7 Infrastructure — Eng John Kipngetich Mosonik
8 Foreign Affairs — Eng Karanja Kibicho
9 Devolution — John Konchella
10 Labour — Ali Noor Ismail
11 Education — Dr Belio Kipsang
12 Treasury — Dr Kamau Thugge
13 Transport — Nduva Muli
14 Livestock — Dr Khadijah Kassachom
15 Interior — Mutea Iringo
16 Agriculture — Sicily Kanini Kariuki
17 Fisheries — Prof Japheth Micheni Ntiba
18 Defence — Amb Monica Kathina Juma
19 Commerce and Tourism — Dr Ibrahim M Mohamed
20 Health — Prof Fred H K Segor
21 Information and Communication — Joseph Musuni Tiampaty
22 Mining — Amb Richard Ekai Titus
23 Sports Culture and The Arts — Patrick Omutia
24 East African Community — Mwanamaka Amani Mabruki
25 Planning — Eng Peter Oganga Magiti
26 Environment and Natural Resources — Richard Lerisian Lesiyampe
Article 155 (5) of the Constitution allows the President to re-assign the Principal Secretaries as he sees fit.
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