Kibochi was appointed for a period of three years, with immediate effect, according to a Gazette notice dated November 22.
In his latest wave of appointments, President William Ruto has once again tapped former lawmakers for government jobs, but this time round, he has also turned to one individual who served at the highest position in the Kenya Defence Forces (KDF).
On Friday, November 22, the Head of State appointed former Chief of Defence Forces General (Rtd) Robert Kibochi as the new Chairperson of the Board of Directors for Mwai Kibaki Referral Hospital.
Kibochi was appointed for a period of three years, with immediate effect, according to a Gazette notice dated November 22.
Kibochi is a retired Kenya Army general who has served in the Kenya Defence Forces for over four decades; within which he has held leadership positions at every level of command and staff rising to become the 10th Chief of Defence Forces. He held the position from May 2020 to May 2023.
Former CDF General Robert Kibochi during his swearing in ceremony at State House on May 11, 2020. /PSCU
He took over from Gen. Samson Mwathethe, a naval officer, who was named the CDF on April 17, 2015, replacing Gen. Julius Karangi from Kenya Air Force.
President Ruto also appointed former Kesses Member of Parliament Swarup Mishra to act as Chairperson of the Board of Directors for the Kenya Biovax Institute Limited.
“IN EXERCISE of the powers conferred by section 6 (1) (a) of the State Corporations Act, I, William Samoei Ruto, President of the Republic of Kenya and Commander-in-Chief of the Defence Forces, appoint SWARUP RANJAN MISHRA (DR.) to be the Chairperson of the Board of Directors Kenya Biovax Institute Limited, for a period of three (3) years, with effect from the 22nd November 2024,” read the notice in part.
The former lawmaker on May 17, 2023, joined the United Democratic Alliance (UDA) party under President Ruto. The medical doctor-cum-businessman dumped the former ruling Jubilee Party under the Azimio la Umoja coalition and mobilised a section of professionals and businessmen from the Asian community to join the party known for its ‘Yellow Wave’.
On September 6, 2022, Mishra admitted that he made the wrong decision of not joining Ruto’s camp at a time when the outfit enjoyed overwhelming support in the Kesses constituency and region.
“I humbly request my community to forgive me for the wrong decision I made. At the end of the day, sometimes, the wrong wisdom or decision can happen. It is good that we realize, reconcile and also correct ourselves in future so that it never happens,” Mishra stated then.
The former lawmaker and businessman who was born in Odisha, Eastern India, speaks fluent Kalenjin. He was also baptized with a Kalenjin name ‘Kiprop’ and lives in Uasin Gishu County, specifically Kesses.
In another appointment, former Rarieda MP Nicholas Gumbo who he appointed as the Chairperson of the Board of Directors for the Kenya Sugar Board, also for three years with immediate effect. Gumbo’s appointment comes almost a year after his selection as Roads and Transport Chief Administrative Secretary (CAS) was quashed by courts that had declared the position unconstitutional.
The former Rarieda lawmaker has been President Ruto’s point man in Siaya County and the wider Nyanza region.
Gumbo and Mishra’s appointments add to Ruto’s knack of rewarding politicians allied to his UDA party with various government positions.
Miscellaneous
Ruto further appointed five members of the Economic Partnership Agreement Council representing Kenya. All five are Cabinet Secretaries.
They include Prime Cabinet Secretary and Cabinet Secretary Foreign and Diaspora Affairs Musalia Mudavadi and Cabinet Secretaries John Mbadi (National Treasury), Andrew Karanja (Agriculture and Livestock Development), Aden Duale (Environment, Climate Change and Forestry) and Salim Mvurya (Investment, Trade and Industry).
Economic Partnership Agreements (EPAs) are trade and development agreements negotiated between the EU and African, Caribbean, and Pacific (ACP) countries.
