President William Ruto retained a handful of cabinet secretaries from the lot that served in the former Head of State Uhuru Kenyatta's government.
Former Education Principal Secretary Dr Belio Kipsang and Principal Secretary in the Department of Housing and Urban Development Charles Hinga were among the PSs given an opportunity to serve in Ruto's government.
Dr Belio Kipsang
Dr Kipsang made a comeback to the Department of Basic Education where he served as a principal secretary between 2013 and February 2021.
Notably, Kipsang was at the helm of the ministry's administration at a time when the education sector was faced with challenges of irregularities in national examinations.
He was part of the team led by the then Cabinet Secretary for Education, Dr Fred Matiang'i who was at the centre of the radical measures taken to curb cheating in the national assessment.
In addition, Dr Kipsang was part of the team that laid the foundation for the conception and development of the Competency-Based Curriculum (CBC) and its rollout.
Ruto's government is keen on reviewing CBC to address teething problems, with a task force already in place.
He left the ministry of education after a reshuffle which saw him land in the department of Regional and Northern Corridor Development under the State Department of Regional Development.
Charles Hinga
Charles Hinga who also served under Uhuru's regime was also reinstated as the Principal Secretary in the Department of Housing and Urban Development.
Hinga was heading the housing and urban development department which was tasked to undertake the affordable housing plan. The housing plan was entrenched in the Big Four Agenda plan adopted as a road map for development by the now-retired president Uhuru Kenyatta.
During his tenure, the Ministry of Transport, Infrastructure and Public Works oversaw the construction of over 10,000 homes aimed at enhancing access to decent shelter for the population in Nairobi and its metropolis.
The department is central to president Ruto’s government which has been so keen on implementing the affordable housing plan. Since his ascension to power, President William Ruto has affirmed his intention to leverage available support to construct over 200,000 units annually.
Chris Kiptoo
Former PS in the department of Trade in the Ministry of Industry, Trade and Cooperatives also secured a nomination, this time as the PS in the National Treasury.
Kiptoo, an economist, was credited for his efforts towards the ratification of multilateral agreements between Kenya and multinational organizations such as the European Union (EU) and the East Africa Community (EAC).
Upon his approval, Kiptoo will work closely with the team at the Treasury and the Office of the President tasked with the role of turning Kenya's economy around.
Other notable names of persons making a comeback in President Ruto's government include Julius Korir (State Department of Cabinet Affairs), Hilary Kimutai (State Department of Livestock Development) and Peter Tum (State Department of Medical Services).
The president forwarded the names of the 51 appointed principal secretaries to parliament for consideration and approval.
