This archive report was first published on 15 November 2019.
November 15, 2019, marked a day of questionable appointments in the Kenyan government, with Acting Treasury Cabinet Secretary Ukur Yatani's wife, Gumato Ukur Yatani, landing two plum jobs.
According to Gazette Notice No 10759, Education Cabinet Secretary George Magoha appointed Gumato as the chairperson of the Jomo Kenyatta University of Agriculture and Technology (JKUAT) Council for a period of three years, effective November 8, 2019.
Meanwhile, Industrialisation and Trade Cabinet Secretary Peter Munya appointed Ms Yatani as a member of the Taskforce on Standards and Quality Infrastructure Reforms through Gazette Notice No 10758.
The simultaneous appointments have raised eyebrows, with many questioning whether the acting cabinet secretary had a hand in securing the jobs for his wife.
President Uhuru Kenyatta has also made several appointments, including the appointment of John Konchellah as Chairperson of the National Environment Management Authority (NEMA) for a period of three years, following the implication of Geoffrey Wahungu in the Arror and Kimwarer Dams Scandal.
Earlier in the year, ICT Cabinet Secretary Joe Mucheru faced backlash after appointing a dead man, Robert Kochalle, to a government job. After the online furore, Mucheru appointed Kochalle's wife, Charity Kochalle, to the position reserved for her late husband.
