On Wednesday, May 31, President William Ruto nominated another Principal Secretary in place of Faith Njeri Harrison, who had been nominated to the office of the Prime Cabinet Secretary, Musalia Mudavadi.
Njeri, a former County Executive Committee (CEC) member in Kiambu County, had been nominated to the State Department for Performance Management.
However, Ruto withdrew her nomination, as seen in the press release Head of Public Service, Felix Koskei, issued.
She was immediately replaced by Anne Wang'ombe, who was tasked with a similar role. However, Ruto did not explain the sudden change of heart.
"The nominee is a human resource practitioner and educationist with experience spanning three decades. The Nominee holds a Master's Degree in Education Administration and Planning from the University of Nairobi," the notification confirming Wang'ombe's nomination read in part.
Following the changes, a team that briefs the President, giving him intelligence before appointments, was questioned as most Kenyans had raised reservations about the earlier appointment of Njeri.
Reports claimed she was allegedly involved in a scandal while serving in Kiambu County.
However, Ruto's close allies, including Wesly Korir, among the politicians eyeing appointments in the Kenya Kwanza administration, defended the move arguing that Ruto was determined to tackle graft.
"Hope our President has demonstrated well enough that he won’t tolerate corruption in his government," Korir wrote.
However, sources close to the Njeri contradicted reports of appointment revocation, intimating that Njeri voluntarily withdrew from the nomination before being vetted in Parliament.
The post fell vacant following the resignation of Esther Ngero, who had been moved from the Office of the Prime Cabinet Secretary to the Correctional Services department in the Interior Ministry. Ngero resigned on May 23, 2023, citing personal reasons.
Ruto transferred Ngero after terminating the appointment of Josephine Mburu as the Principal Secretary of the State Department for Public Health and Professional Standards over graft allegations on the donor-funded National Malaria Programme.
Mburu was fired over the Ksh3.7 billion mosquito nets scandal at the Kenya Medical Supplies Authority (KEMSA).
