Kenya: Correctional Services PS Esther Ngero Resigns
Nairobi — The Principal Secretary for Correctional Services Esther Ngero has resigned from President William Ruto’s administration citing personal reasons.
Ngero resignation comes days after she was reassigned from the State Department for Performance Management and Delivery Services to the State Department for Correctional Services.
“The Head of State and Government has conveyed his gratitude to Ms Ngero for her service to the nation and wished her the very best in all her future endeavors,” the communication by Head of Public Service read.
In her previous docket,the outgoing Principal Secretary served in the office of the Prime Cabinet Secretary Musalia Mudavadi.
“In her time in office, Ms Ngero has been instrumental in establishing the institutional framework to support the implementation of Public Service Performance Management and Monitoring for MDAs,” Koskei stated.
Ngero is a certified accountant by training and exudes an almost two decades career in petroleum sector.
She was swapped to the State Department for Correctional Services after President William Ruto reassigned seven Principal Secretaries in a reshuffle following the sacking of Public Health Principal Secretary Josephine Mburu.
Correctional Services Principal Secretary Mary Muthoni was named the new PS responsible for the Public Health docket yielding her portfolio to Ngero who ceded the Performance Management docket in the Prime Cabinet Secretary’s Office.
Ruto moved Medical Services PS Peter Tum to Sports.
Livestock PS Harry Kimtai took Tum’s slot at Afya House relinquishing the docket he held to Jonathan Mueke who served as Sports PS.
Forestry PS Ephantus Kimani swaped slots with Irrigation’s Gitonga Mugambi.
Ruto fired Mburu on Monday over graft allegations on the donor-funded National Malaria Programme.
Felix Koskei, the Head of the Public Service, said that the decision comes following complaints of alleged impropriety within the Kenya Medical Supplies Authority (KEMSA) in its management and administration of various medical programmes being undertaken by Kenya in conjunction with its development partners.
“THE COMPLAINTS FOLLOW the regular verification of expenditure by the Global Fund with regard to the National Malaria Programme that targets millions of low income Kenyan households within our nation’s malaria endemic regions,” Koskei, who doubles up as Ruto’s Chief of Staff said.
He further stated that the alleged maladministration on the part of KEMSA is with regard to the procurement of treated mosquito nets for those vulnerable households, which he says could have led to significant exposure to the disease and increase in its severity in the endemic regions.