Mary Wambui Makes Comeback After Powerful State Appointment

On Monday, October 14, Mary Wambui Munene was appointed as the chairperson of the National Employment Authority.

Ukur Yattani, the Labour and Social Protection Cabinet Secretary appointed Wambui in a gazette notice that saw the former legislature assume office with immediate effect.

The former Othaya MP will serve as the chair of NEA for a duration of three years.

A National Employment Authority official attending to a client during the Nairobi Trade Fair

Wambui takes over the from Winnie Pertet who served as NEA chair from its inception till the end of her term. 

NEA was established in April 2016 through an act of Parliament (the National Employment Authority Act 2016) that provided a legal framework for the operation.

The Authority was created out of the then National Employment Bureau (NEB) which was one of the Departments in the Ministry of East African Community, Labour and Social Protection.

The Act, therefore, provided for the transitioning of the Bureau into the National Employment Authority.

It mainly provides for a comprehensive institutional framework for employment management and also enhancement of employment promotion.

The parastatal also works on interventions and increased access to employment by the youth, minorities and marginalized groups and for connected purposes.

President Uhuru at the National Employment Authority stand during the Nairobi trade fair in October 2019.