The Rise and Rise of Zack Kinuthia: Magoha's New CAS

Political Activist and pro-Kenyatta blogger, Zachary Kinuthia, was on top of the list for appointees by President Uhuru Kenyatta on Tuesday, January 14, and landed a job as the chief administrative secretary in the Ministry of Education.

Kinuthia’s appointment makes him the youngest person serving in that position, ostensibly meeting the demands of the populous generation for representation in the government.

In the Education docket, Kinuthia is expected to be the de facto deputy of the no-nonsense Education Cabinet Secretary George Magoha.

A past photo of Education CAS appointee Zachary Kinuthia during an interview at Royal Media Services

Kinuthia has been in the limelight as an ardent Jubilee follower, who religiously showed allegiance to President Uhuru Kenyatta through different forums.

Through numerous TV appearances as a political commentator, more so in the vernacular TV stations, Kinuthia rose to become a public icon who was considered brave on what he stands for. 

Through his Facebook posts, Kinuthia never shied off in portraying opposition to Deputy President William Ruto and MPs who are close allies of the DP, especially from Central Kenya. 

In a post on Tuesday, January 14, Kinuthia wrote; “If you look at the elected people in Mt Kenya who started with William Samoei Ruto before, you will realize that they were men and women of substance. They thought that Ruto was acting genuinely as the principal assistant to the president.

"The handful of elected people who follow Ruto these days from Mt Kenya are peculiar people who do not shy to tell us in secret that they are with Ruto because they have something to gain from him,” he wrote on social media.

Kinuthia was elected Student Organization of Nairobi University's (SONU) president in 2013 and served until 2014. 

A photo of Zachary Kinuthia during a past tree planting exercise.

Coincidentally, during the time Kinuthia was the SONU president, CS Magoha was the institution’s vice chancellor.

Kinuthia was later replaced by Paul 'Babu Owino' Ongili, who is the current Member of Parliament for Embakasi East Constituency.