The unveiling of the Cabinet came shortly after he held his inaugural Cabinet meeting with former CSs who served under former President Uhuru Kenyatta.
The President unpacked the men and women who he entrusted with the responsibility of delivering his manifesto to Kenyans.
Below is a detailed profile of six cabinet nominees in the Ruto cabinet.
Njuguna Ndung’u - CS The National Treasury
Ndung’u was an associate professor of economics at the University of Nairobi. He had been the Governor of the Central Bank of Kenya from March 2007 to March 2015.
He has lectured in advanced economic theory and econometrics at the university and has published widely in international journals as well as chapters in various books on economic policy issues.
He was the first CBK Governor to complete two terms of four years each since the law was put in place in 1982.
He had just taken over at CBK when Safaricom launched M-Pesa, a mobile money transfer service that has put Kenya on the global technology map.
Ndung’u will replace Ukur Yatani who was appointed in January 2020 after serving from July 2019 in an acting capacity.
Prior to being governor, he was the Director of Training at the African Economic Research Consortium (AERC), a capacity-building network in Africa in economic policy and analytical capacity.
He is a member of the Brookings Africa Growth Initiative (AGI) Distinguished Advisory Group 7
Ndung’u has also been a member of the Advisory Committee of the Alliance for Financial Inclusion (AFI).
Ndung’u has previously served as a member of the Global Advisory Council (GAC) of the World Economic Forum (WEF), Visiting Fellow of Practice at the Blavatnik School of Government, Oxford University (2015-16), Africa Regional Office of the International Development Research Centre (IDRC) of Canada, 2001-03.
He also served as a principal analyst and head of the Macro Economic and Econometrics Modelling Division of the Kenya Institute for Public Policy Research and Analysis (KIPPRA) 1999-2001.
He led a team to develop the Kenyan macro-model that has been in use for forecasting growth and fiscal stance since 2001.
Ndung’u holds a PhD in Economics from the University of Gothenburg, Sweden.
He studied Bachelor of Economics at the University of Nairobi and did his Master’s in the same institution.
Susan Nakhumicha Wafula -CS Health
She unsuccessfully vied for the Trans-Nzoia woman representative seat in the August 9 elections.
Wafula has held various positions in Ford-Kenya among them national vice chairperson for women, youth and children docket.
She is a procurement professional with a lot of experience in the NGO world.
The Health nominee has dealt with procurement of both pharmaceuticals and non-pharmaceuticals, stationery, printing works, logistics/transport services and consulting services.
Wafula holds a Diploma in Pharmacy from Kenya Medical Training Institute and another in Healthcare Management from Kenya Institute of Management.
She has a Master degree in Procurement, Logistics and Supply Chain Management from Jomo Kenyatta University of Agriculture and Technology.
Wafula is currently pursuing a PhD in Business Management, Logistics and Supply Chain from the same university.
She has served as Head of Supply for the University of California San Francisco (UCSF) Global Programme for Research and Training.
The UCSF partners with health stakeholders in solving the challenges of infectious diseases such as malaria, HIV/AIDS and tuberculosis.
Aisha Jumwa - CS Public Service Gender and Affirmative Action
The former Kilifi woman representative was born in 1975 at the Coast. She attended the Takanga Primary School before moving to Murray Secondary School.
She then proceeded to Ganze Secondary, where she dropped out in Form Two for lack of school fees. It was during this time that she gave birth to her firstborn before resuming school.
She is said to be a Commerce graduate from Jomo Kenyatta University of Science and Technology. She also holds a certificate in governance from the same institution.
In the run-up to the August 9 polls, a group of petitioners moved to court to stop Jumwa from contesting over her academic credentials.
Petitioners — Concern Citizen Kenya, Rajab Menza Shikara and Daniel Chengo Kahindi moved to court in June to have Jumwa disqualified from the polls because of lack of requisite education.
The trio argued in their court papers that Jumwa does not meet the qualifications to vie for governor's seat as she does not hold a degree as required under the Constitution of Kenya 2010 and the Election Act.
They asked the court to declare that Jumwa, nominated by the United Democratic Alliance, does not meet the minimum qualification to be cleared by IEBC to vie for Kilifi county gubernatorial seat as she does not hold a degree from a university recognised in Kenya.
Jumwa is said to have been cleared for the governorship seat using a degree certificate in County Governance obtained in 2012 at JKUAT.
Jumwa's IEBC gazettement in the election for governor of Kilifi was not stopped by the High Court despite arguments that she lacked a degree.
She established the Aisha Jumwa Foundation before joining active politics in 1997 when she won the Takaungu ward seat in Kilifi. In 2002, she got re-elected.
Come 2007, Aisha vied for the Kilifi South MP seat and lost to her ODM rival Benedict Gunda.
She became the first Kilifi woman representative in 2013, which she won on an ODM party ticket. She was later elected Malindi Township MP in 2017 under the same party.
Penina Malonza - CS Tourism, Wildlife and Heritage
Malonza, a former senior executive with Compassion International – a non-governmental organisation, is best known for the five years she served as deputy governor between 2013-17 and the acrimonious falling out with Malombe.
Malonza was named by former Kitui senator David Musila as his running mate, while still serving under Malombe, and campaigned hard to send her boss home in the 2017 general election.
Both Malombe and Musila lost the elections to Charity Ngilu.
Florence Bore - CS Labour and Social protection
Bore is the immediate former Kericho woman rep.
Prior to joining politics, she served as a director at the Geothermal Development Company.
Between 1992 and 2012, Bore worked as a teacher, under the Teachers Service Commission.
She graduated with a Bachelor of Arts Degree in Education in 2013 from Moi University.
She has a diploma in Education from Kagumo Teachers Training College
Zachariah Mwangi Njeru - Lands, Housing and Urban Development
He was born on April 16, 1966, in Nakuru.
Njeru attended Moi University for Bachelor of Science degree and got a second Class Honours
He later pursued a Master of Art in Public Administration and Management from Kenyatta University.
From 2015 to date, he served as subcounty administrator in Nakuru county.
From 2008-13, Njeru was nominated councillor- Municipal Council of Nakuru
During the period, he was elected as chairman- finance and general purpose committee in the defunct municipal council of Nakuru.
In 2010, he was elected chairman- public health and Aids committee in the same municipal council.
Between 2003-07, Njeru was the regional manager Blueshield Insurance Company, Rift Valley.
(Edited by Tabnacha O)
