Dr. Belio Kipsang has been nominated as the next Basic Education principal secretary (PS), returning to his previous docket before he was moved in the same capacity to Regional Development department.
Dr Kipsang was a long-serving Basic Education PS before the Uhuru Kenyatta February reshuffle that saw Julius Jwan replace him.
In the PS nominations statement by Head of Public Service Felix Koskei, Esther Thaara Muoria has been picked for the TVET docket, an equally key role partly with the government focus on growing technical training.
Kenya has more than 4,450 TVET institutions and 11 national polytechnics that admitted 126,089 students who sat the KCSE exam in March this year.Before the Cabinet Secretaries were nominated, Dr Kipsang’s name featured prominently as a possible replacement of Prof George Magoha as the Education CS.
However, President Ruto picked Ezekiel Machogu, a Kisii politician and a former district commissioner who is little known in Kenya’s education agenda.Ms Muoria is expected to replace Margaret Mwakima at the TVET department where she took over from Dr Jwan, before the latter was moved to Basic Education.
Ahead of Dr Jwan — the former boss of the Kenya Institute of Curriculum Development — Dr Kevit Desai was the technical and vocational training PS.Since 2013 Kenya has embarked on an ambitious expansion of the TVETs, seen in the continual admissions and building of new technical institutes across the country.
In one of the programmes, the government is working with MPs who donate Sh10 million and look for land to build a Sh50 million TTI that is mentored by an established neighbouring training centre.
Also picked from the wider education docket is the Kenya National Qualifications Authority (KNQA) director-general, Dr Juma Mukhwana, to become Industry PS.In the latest appointments, Dr Ruto has picked Dr Chris Kiptoo as the Treasury PS while James Muhaiti will take the Planning docket.
Before joining the government as the Trade PS and later moving in similar capacity to the Ministry of Environment and Forestry, Dr Kiptoo worked for trade aid organisation TradeMark East Africa as its Kenyan boss.
President Ruto’s confidante Dr Korir Sing’Oei has been picked to head Foreign Affairs as PS while Prof Edward Kisiangani, a university don who was part of Dr Ruto’s presidential campaign communication team will be vetted for the ICT docket.
Raymond Omollo, the Lake Basin Development Authority MD, is named as Interior and National Administration PS, putting him in charge of one of the most crucial positions in the affairs of the government.
The outgoing Interior PS is Dr Karanja Kibicho while Dr Fred Matiang’i was the CS before Prof Kithure Kindiki took over a week ago.
Former Lang’ata MP Nixon Korir has been named to Lands and Physical Planning while the National Irrigation Authority CEO Gitonga Mugambi will be the Irrigation principal secretary should he pass the scrutiny by MPs.
