President William Ruto has revoked the appointments of Joe Owaka Ager and Kiema Mwandia from key state agencies as part of his ongoing efforts to restructure parastatal leadership.
In a Gazette Notice, Ruto rescinded Owaka’s appointment as Chairperson of the Board of Directors of the Pyrethrum Processing Company of Kenya.
“I, William Samoei Ruto, President of the Republic of Kenya and Commander-in-Chief of the Defence Forces, revoke the appointment of Joe Owaka Ager as Chairperson of the Board of Directors of the Pyrethrum Processing Company of Kenya, with effect from January 31, 2025, in exercise of the powers conferred by Section 6(1)(a) of the State Corporations Act, as read together with Section 51(1) of the Interpretations and General Provisions Act,” the notice stated.
Owaka, a close ally of former Prime Minister Raila Odinga, previously served as Chair of the Placement Board for the Kenya Universities and Colleges Central Placement Service (KUCCPS) from 2018 to 2021 under former President Uhuru Kenyatta’s administration. He also worked as General Manager of the Kenya Electricity Transmission Company (KETRACO) between 2010 and 2015 and later chaired the National Mining Corporation until his appointment was revoked in December 2023.
Recently, Ruto had named Owaka as Secretary of Governance and included him among his advisors.
Alongside Owaka, Ruto also revoked Kiema Mwandia’s appointment as a member of the Tanathi Water Works Development Agency Board. Mwandia, a key United Democratic Alliance (UDA) figure, played a significant role in the party’s 2022 election campaigns.
“In exercise of the powers conferred by Section 51(1) of the Interpretations and General Provisions Act, I, William Samoei Ruto, President of the Republic of Kenya and Commander-in-Chief of the Defence Forces, revoke the appointment of Kiema Mwandia as a Member of the Tanathi Water Works Development Agency Board, with effect from January 31, 2025,” the notice read.
Despite these changes, Ruto has has yet to announce replacements for the revoked positions.
