The Interior Ministry CS fell vacant after Kithure Kindiki was elevated to the Office of the Deputy President. The post was held by Prime CS Musalia Mudavadi on an interim basis; Kipchumba Murkomen will now hold it substantively.
Until his new role, Murkomen was the Cabinet Secretary for Youth Affairs and Sports, which has now been handed to Salim Mvurya.
Nairobi – The Interior Ministry will now be under Kipchumba Murkomen.
President William Ruto posing for a group photo after this year’s last Cabinet meeting at State House, Nairobi. Photo: State House Kenya. Source: TwitterPresident William Ruto approved a Cabinet reshuffle on Thursday, December 19. Prior to his new portfolio, Kipchumba Murkomen oversaw the Youth Affairs and Sports Ministry.
As part of the changes, Salim Mvurya, previously the CS for Investments and Trade, will now head the Sports Ministry.
Mvurya’s former position has been assigned to former Nakuru Governor Lee Kinyanjui, while Mutahi Kagwe, the former Health CS, has been appointed to lead the Agriculture and Livestock Development Ministry.
First Kiambu Governor William Kabogo has been nominated to head the Information, Communication, and Digital Economy docket. In the reshuffle, the president reassigned the now-former Agriculture and ICT CSs to ambassadorial roles.
Margaret Nyambura, the former ICT CS, was appointed High Commissioner for Kenya in Ghana, while Andrew Karanja, the former Agriculture CS, has been named Kenya’s ambassador to Brazil.
President @WilliamsRuto makes changes to the cabinet, the nation’s foreign service and other senior ranks of the executive. pic.twitter.com/o7K9Z5GEUN
— Hussein Mohamed, MBS. (@HusseinMohamedg) December 19, 2024
The focus has now shifted to the National Assembly Committee on Appointments, whose members may need to cut short their recess to vet the new Cabinet appointees. This comes just four months after President Ruto’s last reorganization of the National Executive.
In July, Ruto dismissed his entire Cabinet to address public dissatisfaction with his administration. He later restructured his team, bringing in senior members of the opposition.
This reshuffle followed discussions between Ruto and opposition leader Raila Odinga, during which they put aside their political differences. Ruto stated that he aimed to unite the country, which led to the inclusion of opposition-aligned figures in his Cabinet.
The latest changes follow a meeting between President Ruto and his predecessor, Uhuru Kenyatta. The newly nominated CSs for Agriculture and Trade Ministries, Mutahi Kagwe and Lee Kinyanjui, are known allies of Uhuru.