The face of the Covid-19 briefs has for a long time been associated with Health Cabinet Secretary (CS) Mutahi Kagwe and the Health Chief Administrative Secretary (CAS) Mercy Mwangangi.
However, On Friday, April 24, Kenyans were left with many questions when a new face stepped in to inform the country on the status of the Covid-19 pandemic.
The strange face belonged to Rashid A. Aman, the second CAS in the Ministry of Health (MoH), serving alongside CAS Mwangangi who is a recent entrant into public service.
CAS Aman was selected into the Cabinet by President Uhuru Kenyatta to serve alongside Engineer Peter Tum during Sicily Kariuki tenure as the Health CS.
Aman is a man with vast experience in the health sector, being the holder of a Bachelor of Pharmacy degree from the University of Nairobi and a PhD in Pharmaceutical Chemistry from the University of California in San Francisco.
He is also the custodian of the Hedida Post-Doctoral Fellowship at the School of Medicine, Stanford University, at Stanford, California in the USA (1985-1988), after which he joined the National Cancer Institute of the NIH at Frederick in Maryland in the USA as a Fogarty Visiting Associate(1988–1990).
In terms of career and service, Aman is currently the Chairman of the Kenya National Commission for UNESCO and a Council member of the Taita Taveta University.
He has also served as Director on the Boards of several institutions including Kenya Medical Research Institute (KEMRI) and the National Museums of Kenya and is also an Honorary Research Professor at Strathmore University and a Senior Research Affiliate at the National Museums of Kenya.
"Dr Aman joined the National Museums of Kenya in 1990 where he has served in various positions for over 15years.
"By the time he left the National Museums of Kenya in 2003, he had risen to the position of Deputy Director in charge of research, leaving behind a strong track record of institutional and human capital development in the applications of molecular genetics in the study of infectious agents and the diversity of life," his profile on the Kenya Mental Health Conference 2019 website reads.
He was also announced to be having research interests in Molecular and Biochemical Parasitology, Molecular Genetics, Biodiversity, Biotechnology, Environmental Science, Drug Policy, Management and Regulation, Clinical Pharmacology, and Clinical Trials.
As a businessman, Aman is the founder of a number of private organizations including the Centre for Drug Management (CEDMAP) and the African Centre for Clinical Trials (ACCT), both of which he directs and is active in training, research, and consultancy.
