John Lonyangapuo, the former governor of West Pokot County and Kenya Union Party (KUP) leader, is the latest beneficiary of lucrative State jobs, following an appointment on Friday by President William Ruto.
Prof Lonyangapuo has been appointed him as the chairperson of North Rift Valley Water Works Development Agency (NRVWDA) for a period of nine months.
President Ruto said the appointment of David Chumba Chemweno had been revoked.
Prior to the August 2022 General Election, Prof Lonyangapuo was one of Dr Ruto’s fiercest critics, with his party supporting Azimio La Umoja One Kenya honcho Raila Odinga, only for him to switch camp after the Kenya Kwanza Alliance (KKA) took over the country’s leadership.
The former governor recently announced that KUP had cut ties with Azimio. The party has since declared support for President Ruto’s administration.
Prof Lonyangapuo accused Azimio of making unilateral decisions that do not represent the views of all partner parties, while describing the coalition as the ‘greatest threat to democracy, the rule of law and national cohesion in our nation’s recent history”.
Pokot South MP David Pkosing, who is the party’s secretary-general, disagreed with.
Prof Lonyangapuo, who defended governor seat on a KUP ticket, was trounced by President Ruto’s ally, Simon Kachapin, who vied under the United Democratic Alliance (UDA). The latter garnered 86,476 votes against the former’s 84,610.
Mr Emilio Mugo, the former chief forest conservator of the Kenya Forest Service (KFS) has made a comeback to the government with President Ruto appointing him the chairperson of the National Environmental Management Authority (NEMA) for three years.
Mr Mugo was among the KFS senior managers who were sent on compulsory leave in 2018 for allegedly abetting illegal logging. Others were Patrick Nyaga (Senior Manager, Finance and Administration), Dedan Gatiki (Assistant Chief Conservator of Forests, North Rift) and Boniface Simiyu (Deputy Chief Conservator of Forests, Plantations and Enterprise).
Other KFS staff affected by the board decision were Francis Kariuki, (Assistant Chief Conservator of Forests Eastern Conservancy, Embu) and Cosmas Ikiugu, Assistant Chief Conservator of Forests (Central Highlands).
Former Kisauni MP Ali Menza Mbogo was appointed the chairperson of thee Lapsset Corridor Development Authority for a period of three years.
