Ruto Appoints Mwangi Wa Iria, Peter Kenneth, Noor Gabow To Govt Jobs

President William Ruto has appointed former presidential hopeful Peter Kenneth, former Deputy Inspector-General of Police Noor Gabow and former Murang'a Governor Mwangi wa Iria to government jobs.

The appointments were made public by Arthur Osiya, Principal Administrative Secretary to the Head of Public Service on Friday, December 20.

President Ruto appointed former Gatanga MP Kenneth as the chairperson of the Kenya Bureau of Standards (KEBS) National Standards Council. Wa Iria was appointed Chairperson of the Public Procurement Regulatory Board.

Gabow has been handed the role of Consular General for the yet-to-be-established Consulate in Haiti. Earlier, Prime Cabinet Secretary Musalia Mudavadi announced that the government will be setting up a consulate in Haiti.

Mudavadi revealed that Kenya plans to open a consulate in Port-au-Prince, Haiti’s capital, next year. This announcement follows the normalisation of diplomatic ties between Kenya and Haiti, which occurred 15 months ago.

The posting of Gabow as the first Consular General is no surprise, as the former Deputy Inspector General (DIG) of the Administration Police Service (APS) oversaw the first deployment of Kenyan police in June.

"IT IS NOTIFIED that His Excellency the President has effected additional appointments to the senior ranks of the Executive. These appointments include roles at the Central Bank of Kenya, the Executive Office of the President, and other key positions within the top governance organs of our State corporations/Agencies," the notice read in part.

"THE APPOINTMENTS WITHIN the Executive Office of the President seek to augment the complement of personnel supporting the Head of State and Government in fulfilling the profound mandate vested in the nation's foremost office."

The appointments were revealed to have been made based on the recommendations of the Public Service Commission and in line with the laws governing each public office, as applicable.

The Head of State also made appointments in terms of new advisors, with four members to his office. Professor Adams G.R. Oloo will henceforth serve as an advisor for strategy and communication and Dr Silvester Okumu Kasuku as a governance Advisor.

Others are Major (Rtd) Ali Mahat Somane as an advisor on security affairs in the Office of the National Security Advisor and Joe Owaka Ager as the Secretary of Governance.

The Head of State also tapped Bruno Oguda Obodha as the Managing Director of the Eat African Portland Cement Company PLC and Douglas Murei Kaibos as the CEO of Central Rift Valley Water Works Development Agency.

Earlier today, President Ruto made nominations to the board of the Public Service Commission (PSC), with eight nominees that include former Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC) commissioner Boya Molu.

The names have been forwarded to Parliament for vetting. However, Parliament is on a long recess that is expected to end in February 2025, though it is expected that some MPs will be recalled for a special sitting to consider the vetting process, alongside that of the Cabinet nominees announced on Thursday.

Former IEBC Commissioner Boya Molu. /FILE