Sports Cabinet Secretary Rashid Echesa has been sacked in a mini reshuffle effected by President Uhuru Kenyatta Friday morning.
In the changes outlined in Executive Order 3 of 2019, President Kenyatta said Echesa’s appointment had been revoked under Article 152 (5) of the Constitution.
The government shall be reorganized as set out in this Executive Order; the portfolio responsibilities and changes made in the structure of government set in this order shall come into immediate effect, and Executive Order 1 of 2019, is further amended accordingly,” President Kenyatta stated.
Education Cabinet Secretary Amina Mohammed was moved to the Ministry of Sports, Culture, and Arts with Kenya National Examination Council (KNEC) Chairperson George Magoha named the Education Cabinet Secretary-Designate, pending his vetting and approval by the National Assembly.
The former Vice Chancellor of the University of Nairobi has been at the centre of key reforms in the education sector since his appointment in March 2016, working with then Education Cabinet Secretary Fred Matiangi to curb rampant exam cheating.
Magoha’s term at the KNEC due to end this month, the surgeon and consultant urologist terming his three-year term a huge success in recent remarks.
“Everything that I touch with these hands is blessed. We sat together and agreed that there was going to be a multi-sector approach to the management of examinations. This has been provided. If you are to judge us, judge us with what can be measured,” he said.
The performance of the dethroned Sports Cabinet Secretary has been put to question on several occasions, President Kenyatta moving two key parastatals from his ministry just six months after he appointed him to office.
The two State agencies – Kenya Film Commission (KFC) and Kenya Film Classification Board (KFCB) – were moved to the Ministry of Information, Communications and Technology under Cabinet Secretary Joe Mucheru.
President Kenyatta said the changes were in line with the authority conferred on him under Article 132 of the Constitution outlining the function of his office to include coordinate government functions and the need to ensure State departments deliver on national values as set out in Article 10 (2).
The Head of State also noted to align his administration to deliver of his four-fold agenda of food security, manufacturing, affordable housing, and universal healthcare.
He said the reorganization was necessary to “embed operational enhancements and functional changes that shall make Ministries, State Departments and State Agencies better able to deliver on their mandates.”
In other changes effected on Friday, the appointment of Principal Secretary in the State Department of Broadcasting and Telecommunication, Fatuma Hirsi, was also vacated with no immediate replacement named.
Hirsi, who headed the State Department of Wildlife, had previously been sacked before her reinstatement as Broadcasting and Technology PS.
Principal Secretaries, Susan Mochache, was also moved from the State Department of Cooperatives under the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Cooperatives, to Health.
Susan Koech was moved from the State Department of East African Community Affairs to the State Department of Wildlife.
Dr Margaret Mwakima who headed the Wildlife docket under the Ministry of Wildlife and Tourism was moved to the State Department of East African Community Affairs.
Peter Kiplagat Tum was moved from Health to the State Department of Labour.
Dr Ibrahim Mohamed was moved from Mining to State Department of Environment and Forestry with Ali Noor Ismail who headed the docket moving to the State Department of Cooperatives.
