President Ruto announces 10 more Cabinet nominees

President William Ruto has announced his second batch of Cabinet Secretary nominees since dissolving his Cabinet on July 11 after weeks of deadly anti-government protests.

In an address at State House, Nairobi, Wednesday, the President announced Kipchumba Murkomen as the CS nominee for Youth Affairs, Creative Economy and Sports.

Murkomen was the minister for Transport in the old Cabinet and has been assigned the Youth docket previously held by Ababu Namwamba.

Meanwhile, Nominated MP and Orange Democratic Movement (ODM) party chairman John Mbadi has been nominated to head the Treasury ministry, while Salim Mvurya, who previously led the Mining ministry has been nominated to the Trade and Investments docket.

Rebecca Miano, whom Ruto had initially reappointed as Attorney-General nominee last week before dropping her name, has been re-assigned the Tourism docket.

National Assembly Minority Leader Opiyo Wandayi has been nominated to the Energy and Petroleum Ministry while former Mombasa Governor Hassan Joho is the Mining CS nominee.

Former Tourism CS in the dissolved Cabinet, Alfred Mutua, also makes a comeback in the Labour and Social Protection docket, as Wycliffe Oparanya heads to the Cooperatives and MSME Development Ministry.

At the same time, Justin Muturi, the former Attorney-General, has been nominated to lead the Public Service ministry, while Stella Lagat is in the Gender, Culture, Arts and Heritage docket.

Ruto said he was still working on other pending nominees and would announce them “shortly”.

Miano’s name was omitted from the list submitted this week to the National Assembly for vetting, while Aden Duale, who was initially re-appointed to the Defence ministry he led previously, was swapped with Environment CS nominee Soipan Tuya in the new changes.

The latest nominees join Duale, Tuya and their other counterparts President Ruto announced last Friday; Kithure Kindiki (Interior), Alice Wahome (Lands), Julius Ogamba (Education), Andrew Karanja (Agriculture), Eric Muriithi Muuga (Water), Davis Chirchir (Roads and Transport), and Margaret Ndung'u (ICT).

National Assembly Speaker Moses Wetangula has said all Cabinet nominees will undergo vetting, including those re-appointed.