Ruto Fires 6 From Govt Board, Including Uhuru Appointee
In turn, President Ruto appointed Symon Kimaru Maina as the new chairperson of the board of directors
Marvin Chege 
President William Ruto on Friday, June 16 sent home six members from the Board of Directors of the National Water Harvesting and Storage Authority (NWHSA).
The six who included Samuel Thiong'o Mwangi, Agnes Mwichigi, George Onyango Ndonji, Mohamed Awale, Caroline Muthoni Mwangi, and Peter Shikuku Amisi had their appointments revoked by the Head of State, according to a Gazette Notice sent to newsrooms.
In turn, President Ruto appointed Symon Kimaru Maina as the new chairperson of the board of directors of the National Water Harvesting And Storage Authority as well as four board members, with the six outgoing members making up more than half of the NWHSA board.
Board of Directors at the National Water Harvesting and Storage Authority (NWHSA). /FILE
They include Rodgers K. Chepkwony, Simon Ngugi Mwihaki, Bernard Kipsengeret Koros and Amina Shaban Mohamed.
The President also appointed Joseph Kimani Ngacha as a member of the Board of Directors of the Water Sector Trust Fund until August 4, 2025, and revoked the appointment of Abdalla Hassan Abdalla.
“In exercise of the powers conferred by section 7 (3) of the State Corporations Act, I, William Samoei Ruto, President of the Republic of Kenya and Commander-in-Chief of the Defence Forces, appoint Joseph Kimani Ngacha (ENG.) as a member of the Board of Directors of the Water Sector Trust Fund, with effect from the 16th June 2023, up to 4th August 2025. The appointment of Abdalla Hassan Abdalla is revoked,” the notice read.
Samuel Thiong’o who was serving as the chair of the NWHSA, was among four leaders of the Akorino faith who were appointed by former President Uhuru Kenyatta in 2022 to promote diversity in the public service.
Others were the Secretary General of the Akorino church Ibrahim Jeremiah Macharia who was appointed as a Board Member of the Postal Corporation of Kenya, David Kiarie Mburu as the chairperson of the Kenya Tea Development Authority and Eunice Njeri Njau as Council member of the Kenya Institute of Mass Communication (KIMC).
On June 19, 2022, Uhuru gave a personal donation of Ksh10 million during celebrations to mark 100 years of the Akorino church which was held at the Moi International Sports Complex, Kasarani.
He also handed the leaders of the congregation a title deed symbolic of a parcel of land worth Ksh100 million in Naivasha.
“If you look at all religions, they observe certain beliefs, norms and traditions. For instance, our Muslim brothers and sisters have particular attire, which reflects their beliefs. The same applies to the Sikhs.
“I want to insist to the school principals that have been discriminating against our Akorino brothers and sisters because of wearing their turbans at school that they should stop that habit. It is not justified. There is no law that says that a person doesn't have the right of identifying themselves in school, at the hospital and in the office according to their religion," stated Uhuru at the time.
The National Water Harvesting and Storage Authority plays a crucial role in safeguarding Kenya's water resources and ensuring their sustainable utilization.
Water security is a pressing issue in Kenya, as the nation faces challenges related to water scarcity and efficient distribution, with climate change, population growth, urbanization, water pollution, and poor management of water resources worsening the situation, which affects economic activities, food security, education, and health.
These challenges are especially evident in rural areas and urban slums where people are often unable to connect to piped water infrastructure.
Additionally, Kenya's natural water resources do not provide an equitable delivery of water to the various regions of the country, and the country's water basins do not reach an equitable area of the country, leaving many citizens without water.
To counter the issue of water security, Interior Cabinet Secretary (CS) Kithure Kindiki gazetted national water management and supply under the critical infrastructure sectors and formed a special police unit to protect the infrastructure of the Ministry of Water, Sanitation and Irrigation against vandalism, theft and access by individuals with criminal intent.
The unit is known as the Water Police Unit (WPU) which will be mandated to ensure the security and safety of the vital water facilities.
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