President Ruto Reshuffles Principal Secretaries and Appoints New Ambassadors

March 2025, in Nairobi, Kenya's President, William Ruto, has made big changes to his government by reshuffling Principal Secretaries (PSs) and appointing new officials to foreign missions.

These changes were officially announced in a statement from State House on Thursday. The main reason for the reshuffle is to help the government focus more on new economic areas and improve services to the people. The changes are also part of the Bottom-Up Economic Transformation Agenda (BETA), which is the government’s main development plan.

New People Nominated as Principal Secretaries

President Ruto has nominated the following people to be new Principal Secretaries (PSs):

1. Dr. Jane Kare Imbunya – Public Service and Human Capital Development

2. Ms. Regina Akoth Ombam – Trade (Ministry of Investments, Trade & Industry)

3. Mr. Cyrell Wagunda Odede – Public Investments & Assets Management

4. Dr. Caroline Wanjiru Karugu – East African Community (EAC) Affairs

5. Dr. Oluga Fredrick Ouma – Medical Services

6. Mr. Ahmed Abdisalan Ibrahim – National Government Coordination

7. Ms. Judith Naiyai Pareno – Justice, Human Rights & Constitutional Affairs

8. Dr. Bonface Makokha – Economic Planning

9. Prof. Abdulrazak Shaukat – Science, Research & Innovation

10. Mr. Stephen Isaboke – Broadcasting & Telecommunications

11. Mr. Michael Lenasalon – Devolution

12. Mr. Fikirini Katoi Kahindi Jacobs – Youth Affairs

13. CPA Carren Ageng’o Achieng – Children Welfare Services

14. Mr. Aden Abdi Millah – Shipping & Maritime Affairs

    
    

Current Principal Secretaries Moved to New Roles

Some PSs were not removed, but transferred to different ministries:

• Mr. Amos Gathe – From PS Public Service to Deputy Head of Public Service

• Prof. Edward Kisiang’ani – From ICT PS to Senior Adviser to the President

• Prof. Julius Bitok – From Immigration PS to Basic Education PS

• Dr. Belio Kipsang – From Basic Education PS to Immigration & Citizen Services

• Ms. Teresiah Mbaika – From Devolution PS to Aviation & Aerospace Development

• Mr. Ismael Madey – From Youth Affairs PS to Special Programmes

• Mr. Harry Kimtai – From Medical Services PS to Mining

• Mr. Elijah Mwangi – From Mining PS to Sports

  
  

New Appointments in Foreign Missions

The president has also selected new people to serve Kenya abroad as ambassadors, consuls, and deputy heads of mission:

1. Susan Nakhumicha Wafula (Former Health CS) – Kenya’s Permanent Representative to UN-Habitat, Nairobi

2. James Buyekane Muhati – Consul-General in Guangzhou, China

3. Abdi Dubat Fidhow – Consul-General in Arusha, Tanzania

4. Peter Tum (Former Sports PS) – Ambassador to Kinshasa, DRC

5. Alfred Ombudo K’Ombundo – Deputy Head of Mission in Brussels, Belgium

6. Geoffrey Eyanae Kaituko – Deputy Head of Mission in Rome, Italy

   
   

Why the Changes Were Made

According to the statement from State House, these changes are meant to:

• Take advantage of new areas in the economy (like technology, innovation, and youth affairs)

• Solve existing problems affecting Kenyan society

• Speed up the delivery of key government plans, especially the Bottom-Up Economic Transformation Agenda (BETA)

This reshuffle shows that the government wants to improve how it works and prepare for new challenges and opportunities. Many new faces have joined the leadership, and some experienced officials have been given new responsibilities. The reshuffle also shows the importance of international relations, as several new ambassadors and consuls have been appointed.