President William Ruto’s newly nominated Cabinet Secretaries, Geoffrey Ruku and Hannah Cheptumo, have declared a combined net worth of Ksh797 million during their appearance before Parliament’s Appointments Committee on Monday.
Ruku and Cheptumo, tapped to lead the Public Service and Gender ministries, respectively, made the declarations as part of a mandatory vetting process before they can officially assume office.
Ruku, after an intense grilling session with National Assembly Speaker Moses Wetangula, finally arrived at the question of his net worth, which he claimed stood at Ksh377 million.
The former Mbeere North Member of Parliament further broke down how he accrued his millions, with his net worth largely being attributed to real estate.
“Land and buildings worth about Ksh40 million, a family residence worth Ksh60 million, Sacco and savings worth Ksh15 million, shares from a private company worth Ksh250 million, motor vehicles worth about Ksh12 million — a total of Ksh377 million," Ruku said.
In his declared wealth, the largest portion came from shares in a private company, amounting to Ksh250 million. The former lawmaker, however, did not name the company during the session.
Hanna Cheptumo, nominated to head the Ministry of Gender, declared her family’s net worth at slightly over Ksh420 million after briefly dancing around her answer when she was initially asked by Wetangula.
“Our net worth as a family is Ksh420,000,049 made up of a residential house in Karen worth Ksh100 million and a residential house in Nakuru worth Ksh15 million, among other things. It (the list) is very big,” she told the vetting panel.
Cheptumo, a widow of the late Baringo Senator William Cheptumo, has previously worked at a government office in Nyayo House. Her March 26 appointment came just weeks after the president vowed to honour the legacy of the late Senator.
Meanwhile, Ruku was handpicked by President Ruto to replace former Attorney General Justin Muturi, who fell out with the President over the issue of disappearances.
After his election in 2022, Ruku fell into President Ruto's good books after emerging as one of the Kenya Kwanza government's fiercest defenders.
Notably, both vetting sessions featured memorable moments, with the nominees offering candid and at times, intriguing responses to questions from the committee.
On his part, Ruku was asked by Majority Leader Kimani Ichung’wah whether he had defaulted on anything, including rent – something he vehemently denied.
