Economy

Waita appointed Deputy Chief of Staff as ex-Minister Bett to chair AFC board

waita

Former Safaricom executive Nzioka Waita and former Roads minister Franklin Bett. PHOTO | FILE

President Uhuru Kenyatta has appointed former Safaricom executive Nzioka Waita the Deputy Chief of Staff within the Executive Office of the President.

“Mr Waita will deputise the Chief of Staff and Head of the Public Service, Joseph Kinyua, in discharging his mandate including but not limited to delivery of key flagship projects, performance contracting, managing the co–ordination of the president’s fiscal priorities in liaison with the Treasury and effective oversight of State corporations,” said a statement by the presidential press unit.

State House spokesperson Manoah Esipisu said Mr Waita’s appointment “is in line with the president’s commitment to strengthen the capacity and responsiveness of the executive Office of the President.”

Meanwhile, former Roads Minister Franklin Bett - who recently helped the Jubilee coalition clinch the Kericho Senate seat - has been appointed the Agricultural Finance Corporation (AFC) board chair for a three-year period.

Mr Bett’s is one of 20 appointments contained in the Kenya Gazette with Katwa Kigen, who represented Deputy President William Ruto at the International Criminal Court (ICC), also bagging a spot.

Mr Kigen was appointed by Treasury Secretary Henry Rotich to be the board chair at the Unclaimed Financial Assets Authority following his election by UFAA board members.

Mr Bett defected from the opposition party Orange Democratic Movement (ODM) last year to Jubilee. After losing at the party nominations for the Kericho Senate seat, he went ahead to support Aaron Cheruiyot at a time when Jubilee legislators from the area rebelled and supported Kanu’s candidate.

READ: Cheruiyot leaps from varsity activism to national politics

Mr Bett will now replace Patrick Osero who was dismissed last year on graft accusations after he was named in the infamous ‘List of Shame’.

Several other parastatal board chairs were re-appointed for second terms. They include Equity Bank chief executive James Mwangi (Vision 2030 Delivery Board), Chris Foot (Kenya Film Commission), Julius Kones (National Water Conservation and Pipeline Corporation) and Matthew Iteere (Nyayo Tea Zones Development Corporation).