- President William Ruto named Michael Thoyah Kingi to the Salaries and Remuneration Commission for a six year term
- His nomination stirred attention because of his close family link to Senate Speaker Amason Kingi
- Lawmakers questioned him on political neutrality during his vetting session on October 21
TUKO.co.ke journalist Harry Ivan Mboto has over three years of experience reporting on politics and current affairs in Kenya
President William Ruto has appointed Michael Thoyah Kingi, a brother to Senate Speaker Amason Kingi, to the Salaries and Remuneration Commission.
Source: Twitter
The appointment was published in the November 14 edition of the Kenya Gazette, confirming that he will serve a six year term beginning immediately.
The Gazette notice cited the constitutional provisions guiding appointments to the SRC along with the detailed procedure set out in the SRC Act of 2011.
Did Ruto appoint Kingi’s brother to state job?
By formalising this appointment, Ruto has placed Michael among the officials responsible for shaping the pay structure of state officers, a task that often attracts public scrutiny.
“In exercise of the powers conferred by Article 230 (2) (b) (ii) of the Constitution as read with Article 250 (2) (b) of the Constitution and in accordance with the procedure set out in section 7 (13) of the Salaries and Remuneration Commission Act, 2011, I, William Samoei Ruto, President of the Republic of Kenya and Commander-in-Chief of the Defence Forces, appoint—Michel Thoya Kingi, (Eng.) to be a member of the Salaries and Remuneration Commission, for a period of six (6) years,” the notice read in part.
Source: UGC
Michael previously served as Magarini MP from 2017 to 2022 under the Pamoja African Alliance party. He lost his seat in the 2022 election.
His nomination to the SRC attracted interest and debate, mainly because of his family link to the Senate speaker.
These concerns featured openly during his vetting session before the National Assembly Labour Committee on October 21.
MPs questioned him about the risk of political influence and whether his ties could affect his independence.
Source: Facebook
Who are the commissioners of SRC?
He responded by stating that he is not affiliated with any political party and has no plans to vie in the upcoming Magarini by-election, where voters will choose a new representative after the Supreme Court nullified Harrison Garama Kombe’s 2022 win.
With his appointment confirmed, Michael joins an already seated team at the SRC that includes Chairperson Sammy Chepkwony and Commissioners Gilda Odera, Martin Kizito Ongonyi and Geoffrey Apollo Omondi.
Other commissioners are Mohamed Aden Abdi, Jane Gatakaa Njage, and Leonid Ashindu, who took their oaths on January 20.
Who filled new roles across key state agencies?
In a related development, three ministries and the Office of the Attorney General rolled out new appointments touching several public institutions.
The changes were published in the November 14 Gazette, outlining three year terms meant to support governance and improve service delivery.
Education CS Julius Ogamba began the list by naming Mohamed Sheikh Gabow as the new non executive chair of the Kenya Education Management Institute.
Cooperatives CS Wycliffe Oparanya then picked Lucy Loronyokie and Caroline Karanja for the Micro and Small Enterprises Authority board, while Gender CS Hannah Cheptumo assigned Beatrice Jepkoech Changwony to the Kenya National Library Service Board.
Attorney General Dorcas Oduor completed the round by selecting Ellias Billy Nyonje, Simon Malonza, Rina Chatrath and Nancy Manyara to serve on the Nairobi Centre for International Arbitration board.
Source: TUKO.co.ke
