The changes were depicted in a Gazette notice sent to newsrooms on Friday, August 23, with Nyakera one of three appointments made by the Head of State.
President William Ruto has assigned Irungu Nyakera a new role, revoking his appointment as the Chairperson of the Board of Directors of the Kenya Medical Supplies Authority (KEMSA).
The changes were depicted in a Gazette notice sent to newsrooms on Friday, August 23, with Nyakera one of three appointments made by the Head of State.
Nyakera now moves to the Kenyatta International Convention Centre (KICC) where he will serve in a similar capacity, with immediate effect.
The Kenyatta International Convention Centre (KICC) located in Nairobi Central Business District. /FILE
“In exercise of the powers conferred by section 43 (1) (a) of the Tourism Act, as read together with section 51 (1) of the Interpretation and General Provisions Act, I, William Samoei Ruto, President of the Republic of Kenya and Commander-in-Chief of the Defence Forces, appoint Irungu Nyakera to be the Chairperson of the Board of Directors of the Kenyatta International Convention Centre, for a period of three (3) years, with effect from the 23rd August 2024,” the Gazette notice read in part.
The appointment of Adelina Mwau was consequently revoked. Before the latest move, Nyakera was appointed as KEMSA chair on May 15, 2023, by President Ruto through a gazette notice after dissolving the previous KEMSA board and revoking the appointment of the chairperson.
The appointment of Daniel Rono was revoked, with Rono having served in the role since March 2023.
The President had at the time enforced the changes in affirmation of the Kenya Kwanza administration’s commitment to entrenching the ethos of good governance within Kenya’s national life by promoting accountability and openness in the management of public affairs.
The changes came in response to the Global Fund being forced to cancel a Ksh3.7 billion mosquito nets tender owing to KEMSA’s irregular procurement process.
The foreign agency had discovered irregularities on KEMSA’s part during the procurement of the long-lasting insecticide mosquito nets, raising an issue with KEMSA’s technical evaluation committee report, citing multiple procurement gaps, including lack of pagination, contention on request for a manufacturing certificate from a manufacturer, and lack of uniformity in identifying the winning and losing bids.
Taking Nyakera’s place at KEMSA is former Narok Governor Samuel Tunai, who will serve at the KEMSA board helm for three years, also effective immediately.
KEMSA has been instrumental in providing medical supplies to healthcare facilities, but allegations of corruption and mismanagement have hindered its effectiveness. Consequently, the authority has embarked on a comprehensive reform process to rectify these issues.
In another Presidential appointment, Ruto picked former Lands Cabinet Secretary (CS) Farida Karoney as Chairperson of the National Lottery Board, for a period of three (3) years.
“In exercise of the powers conferred by section 5 (1) (a) of the National Lottery Act, I, William Samoei Ruto, President of the Republic of Kenya and Commander-in-Chief of the Defence Forces, appoint Farida Karoney to be a Chairperson of the National Lottery Board, for a period of three (3) years, with effect from the 23rd August 2024,” read the Gazette Notice.
Karoney was appointed to former President Uhuru Kenyatta’s Cabinet on January 26, 2018. Prior to that, she served as the Chief Operating Officer at Royal Media Services (RMS) and she is credited for having transformed and overseen the growth of the media giant.
She was the Head of Editorial at KTN (Standard Group Limited) in 2007 before being the Assistant Director for Broadcasting in the same media house.
Former Lands Cabinet Secretary Farida Karoney. /CAPITAL GROUP