NAIROBI, Kenya, Aug 24 – President William Ruto has appointed Dennis Itumbi to head the Creative Economy and Special Projects in the Executive Office of the President.
President Ruto appointed Itumbi after the approval of the Public Service Commission with his new appointments will aid in supporting the Kenya Kwanza administration’s Bottom Up Economic Agenda (BETA).
“This appointment will go into fostering this administration’s zeal for innovation and growth towards a robust yet novel sector in the economic sphere,” Head of the Public Service Commission Felix Koskei said in a statement.
“This ministerial level appointment will among other roles, be responsible for effective and efficient implementation, monitoring and evaluation of priority projects and initiatives of the 5th administration in line with the BETA Plan,” he added.
Itumbi was among the 50 appointed Chief Administrative Secretary (CASs) where he was assigned the Ministry of Information and Communication and the Digital Economy.
The High Court however quashed the appointment with Justice Kathurima M’inoti, Mumbai Ngugi, and Francis Tuiyot ruling that they were not persuaded that the collective destiny of Kenyans lies in the hands of 50 CASs whose offices are seriously contested.
In the notice issued by the chief of staff Moses Kuria is now a senior adviser in the Council of Economic Advisors, while Owalo has been named Deputy Chief of Staff in charge of Performance and Delivery Management.
“The appointments are in line with the President’s Bottom Up Economic Agenda,” Chief of Staff and Head of Public Service Felix Koskei said.
Both Kuria and Owalo were among the officials dismissed when President Ruto dissolved his Cabinet on July 11, 2024, in response to nationwide youth-led protests, primarily driven by Generation Z, demanding a government overhaul.
Since the dissolution, Ruto has reappointed 12 of the 22 fired officials, with Kuria and Owalo now returning to senior state jobs.
The youth are now questioning if the Cabinet shakeup was merely a facade.
