Former Treasury Cabinet Secretary Henry Rotich on Friday turned down President William Ruto’s job offer as the Senior Advisor on Fiscal Affairs and Budget Policy.
Reports quoting the former CS indicated that he preferred pursuing a position at the Central Bank of Kenya, which is under the Ministry of Treasury, where he initially held a post.
Rotich worked at the Central Bank of Kenya for 12 years between 1994 and 2006 as the Assistant Director of Economic Affairs.
On Thursday, February 8, the Head of the Public Service Felix Koskei in a letter announced the appointment of Rotich as Senior Adviser on Fiscal Affairs and Budget Policy.
Rotich in his new role would have been expected to advise the Head of State on the management of the economy and public finances.
He was set to replace Kamau Thugge who is currently the CBK governor. Thugge held the senior advisor position since 2022 before he was moved to CBK.
Rotich served as the head of Macroeconomics at the Treasury before ascending to the Cabinet Secretary position in 2013.
Ruto's appointment came two months after Rotich was acquitted in the Sh63 billion Arror and Kimwarer dams scandal.
In December last year, Rotich was acquitted in the Ksh63 billion scandal after Magistrate Eunice Nyutu ruled that the evidence provided was insufficient.
Rotich and other officials denied any wrongdoing, despite suspicions of irregular offshore payments to an Italian insurance firm involved in financing the dams.
"All the accused persons in this case are hereby acquitted under Section 210 due to lack of evidence as a result of the reckless dereliction of duty by the prosecution," Nyutu argued.
In January 2020 Rotich was dismissed, marking an end to his tenure as the Treasury CS.
