Agriculture Cabinet Secretary Mutahi Kagwe was on Monday, June 23, awarded the Distinguished Leadership in Public Service Award for his contributions during his tenure as Health CS.
Kagwe received the award during the unveiling of the Brand Africa 100 at the Capital Club in Nairobi on Monday, June 23.
According to a statement released after the ceremony, the CS was recognised for his transformative contributions to Kenya’s public health, digital infrastructure, and national branding.
“I was recognised for my leadership in the public sector as representing something that added value to the people of Kenya,” Kagwe said after receiving the award.
“But I want to add a rider: I am not alone. The award that I got today goes very strongly to the teams that I have always worked with.”
Kagwe’s resilient policies and reforms in the country's healthcare system during his tenure are credited with positioning Kenya as a leader in digital innovation.
Notably, his time as Health CS under President Uhuru Kenyatta's administration coincided with the outbreak of COVID-19, a global pandemic that posed a major challenge to his ministry, but he remained steadfast.
Speaking at the event about his experience during this period, Kagwe praised everyone involved in the COVID-19 National Response Committee, describing the pandemic response as a team effort.
“I was the chair of the COVID-19 National Response Committee, but it was a multi-agency team," he stated.
"Within the Ministry of Health, we had people like Dr Patrick Amoth, Susan Mochache, and Dr Mercy Mwangangi. We had doctors, nurses, and frontline workers. I just symbolise the work that they did. This award belongs to them.”
Late last year, Kagwe was nominated to serve in the Agriculture docket and subsequently appointed as the CS in President William Ruto's administration.
The Brand Africa 100 awards, held in Nairobi, have been running for the past 15 years and aim to rank Africa's most authoritative, independent, and consumer-driven brand study.
The awards are conducted across 31 African nations, representing 85 per cent of the continent’s population and GDP.
