President William Ruto has fired former KTN presenter Kathleen Openda as the chair of the Kenya Institute of Mass Communication (KIMC) and replaced her with former Police Spokesman Charles Owino.
In a Gazette Notice on Friday, Ruto announced that the appointment is effective September 29, 2023, for a period of one year.
KIMC is a state learning institution that trains journalists and other communication professionals.
The president revoked Openda's appointment after serving as the chair for five years.
Owino was the police spokesman from 2015 up to 2021 before throwing his hat into the political ring.
Initially, he wanted to run for the Siaya governor position, but later joined forces with former Rarieda MP Nicholas Gumbo to counter James Orengo.
Prior to the appointment, Owino was serving as the United Democratic Alliance (UDA) party Siaya County Coordinator.
Owino is among the officials that Ruto tapped after assuming office to counter the influence of opposition chief Raila Odinga in the Nyanza region.
Owino was a member of the United Democratic Movement (UDM) party and was the running mate for Gumbo in the 2022 General Election, before ditching him.
At the time, UDM was an affiliate party of the Azimio coalition.
Owino withdrew his candidature and made a return to the police service where he served as the director of the Kenya National Focal Point on Small Arms and Light Weapons.
Owino later decamped to Kenya Kwanza after President Ruto won the elections.
