NAIROBI, Kenya Jan 14 – President Uhuru Kenyatta has sacked Agriculture Cabinet Secretary Mwangi Kiunjuri, in far-reaching changes in his Cabinet.
His docket will be taken over by Peter Munya who has been moved from the Ministry Industrialisation. Betty Maina is the new Industrialisation Minister.
Monica Juma has been moved from Foreign Affairs to the Defence Ministry where she will switch places with Raychelle Omamo.
“If you are not in the list, so be it, Kenya moves forward,” President Kenyatta told reporters at State House, Mombasa, after reading out the changes.
Despite being a Cabinet Secretary, Kiunjuri has been vocal about critical issues like the Building Bridges Initiative (BBI), and often issuing “must do” demands for “Mount Kenya region to support the initiative.”
Kiunjuri, who has served two terms as a legislator, draws his political base from Laikipia and is also a uniting factor among legislators aligned to the Tanga Tanga movement, a political faction rooting for DP Ruto’s election in 2022.
He was the only Cabinet Secretary who attended a Mount Kenya leaders meeting in Embu County.
Most recently, he sparked memes on social media when he told Kenyans to take pictures of insects they suspect are locusts and post them on social media to enable government officials strategise on tackling them after swams were spotted in Mandera, Wajir, Isiolo, Meru and Kirinyaga.
Kiunjuri was first elected to Pparliament in 1997, then representing the Democratic Party, which was at the time led by former President Mwai Kibaki.
He made entry to the Cabinet in 2015, replacing then Devolution CS Anne Waiguru.
After President Uhuru Kenyatta was re-elected in 2017, Kiunjuri was moved to the Agriculture ministry.
Other changes made by the President on Monday include the confirmation of Ukur Yatani as the National Treasury Cabinet Secretary, in a move, he said is meant to improve service delivery to Kenyans.
CS Yatani has been serving in an acting capacity for months now following the removal of his predecessor Henry Rotich, who is facing corruption charges.
The President also moved CS Simon Chelugui to the Labour docket while Sicily Kariuki has been moved to the Ministry of Water, from Health.
Former Nyeri Senator Mutahi Kagwe was nominated Cabinet Secretary for Health, and will have to undergo vetting before he can be appointed by the President.
The President changes have also seen new entries in the positions of Principal Secretaries and Chief Administration Secretaries.
