Health Cabinet Secretary Mutahi Kagwe's work ethic and his constant update on Coronavirus (Covid-19) outbreak have arguably been informative and laudable, ever since he took office in February 2020.
However, as the CS directs, most of the co-ordination activities are done by his assistant, Chief Administrative Secretary (CAS), Dr Mercy Mwangangi, a youthful officer who has charmed Kenyans with her communication skills and her articulation.
Mwangangi stole the headlines on Thursday, March 14, when she addressed the media, updating the nation on Kenya's Coronavirus (Covid-19) cases.
The CAS' star had been on the rise, even before she was appointed as Kagwe's assistant in January 2020, in a Cabinet reshuffle that President Uhuru Kenyatta kept well guarded and in which former Agriculture CS, Mwangi Kiunjuri was also fired.
Mwangangi, joined youthful CASs like former University of Nairobi student leader Zachariah Kinuthia (Education), Lawrence Karanja (Trade), Nadia Abdallah (ICT) and Anne Nyaga (Agriculture) as Kenyatta's young appointees after Kenyans lamented that the head of state was rewarding the aged and his political friends with plum state jobs.
The CAS graduated with a Master's Degree in Health Economics and Policy from the University of Adelaide, Australia in 2015.
While undertaking her studies in Australia, she received an Australian Leadership Award, a supplementary fellowship offered to applicants who demonstrate leadership skills and the potential to influence development outcomes in their home country.
She was then appointed Head of Health Financing & Health Economics at the Ministry of Health, a position she held before being appointed CAS.
She also serves as joint secretary in the Taskforce on Universal Health Coverage (UHC), one of the pillars of President Kenyatta's Big 4 Agenda.
Mwangangi is also a member of African Women in Leadership Network (WILN), a forum that offers female alumni a platform to engage in discussions on issues affecting women and to share valuable insights for the advancement of African women.
Upon her appointment as CAS, Kenyatta urged her to work towards the betterment of the welfare of all Kenyans.
"You have a good mix and you will also mix with the existing colleagues. Even amongst you have seasoned politicians…you have also a lot of youthful energy around you.
“You combine this together, working with your senior ministers who have a lot of experience as well, supporting them and I am certain that we will make a difference in the lives of our people," Kenyatta stated as he led the swearing-in ceremony of the newly appointed CASs at State House, Mombasa County.
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