NAIROBI, Kenya, Jan 26 – President Uhuru Kenyatta has nominated outgoing Foreign Affairs Cabinet Secretary Amina Mohamed as the new Cabinet Secretary for Education.
In a televised address to the nation Friday, the Head of State replaced Mohamed with outgoing Foreign Affairs Principal Secretary Monica Juma as CS.
Mohamed is now expected to oversee the ongoing curriculum changes in the Education Ministry and continue to push for necessary reforms.
Mohamed, a career diplomat, comes into the vital ministry with expectations high that she will be able to assert her authority like that of her predecessor (Fred Matiangi) who was moved to the Ministry of Interior.
When Kenyatta named his first partial Cabinet, Mohamed’s name was conspicuously missing with many speculating that she might have been dropped.
During her tenure in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Mohamed will be remembered for the role she played when Kenyatta and his deputy William Ruto were facing charges at the International Criminal Court (ICC).
It is during this time that the international community expressed reservations with Kenyatta and Ruto’s 2013 presidential candidature with many threatening to withdraw their support if the two were elected.
Mohammed is credited with playing a very important role in changing the narrative of assuring the international partners that there would be no consequence if the two were elected.
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Juma on the other hand is expected to use her new position to strengthen ties between regional and international partners in a bid to foster good cooperation.
Juma is recently credited with playing a crucial role in securing the release of four Kenyans who were jailed for life for allegedly defrauding the South Sudan government.