Emeka-Mayaka Gekara

Newly-appointed Health Cabinet Secretary Mutahi Kagwe had barely settled at Afya House when the coronavirus outbreak arrived in the country, throwing the minister into the deep end.

Before then, Kagwe was confronted with another crisis: Shortage of blood in public hospitals countrywide which he blamed on cartels that were said to be selling it to neighbouring Somalia.

He asked the Directorate of Criminal Investigations to investigate the matter.

Kagwe was sworn in on February to replace Sicily Kariuki, who now occupies the Water docket.

Since then, the former Nyeri Senator has been thrust into the thick of things, becoming the national face in the fight against the virus that has claimed more than 9,000 lives globally. Kenya has confirmed seven cases.

Kenyans have now become accustomed to his daily briefs on the country’s status on the Covid-19,  during which he has spelt out a raft of measures to prevent the spread of the respiratory disease first reported in China late last year.

“This is not a holiday season it is time to fight a deadly condition. To congregate in entertainment joints, bars and restaurants will be the very purpose of which they were asked to stay at home,” he said in his briefing yesterday.

General consensus

Although he had been out of the public limelight for a while prior to his appointment recently, the general consensus is that the former Cabinet minister has acquainted himself well.

He took office on February 28 after vetting and approval by the National Assembly.

He has demonstrated sobriety, confidence, mastery of the subject matter and admirable clarity in expression.

“For once I want to say meritocracy is at work. It has fully worked with the appointment of former Senator Mutahi Kagwe because when he speaks about what his ministry is doing as a Kenyan you feel confident,” said Narok senator Ledama ole Kina.

He served as Information Minister during the regime of retired President Mwai Kibaki and has a background in the media industry where he operates a public relations firm.

Kagwe once worked at the Standard Group, where he rose to be the commercial operations director.

Notably, Kagwe served as the Information, Communication Technology Committee at the Senate during his term from 2013 to 2017.

He wears many hats—a technocrat, a politician and a businessman.

“I thank CS Mutahi Kagwe for not letting busybodies take over his work and start prefecturing and acting all over.

The CS has shown impressive sobriety and great competence. So far, good man for the job,” remarked Kirinyaga Woman Representative Purity Ngirici.

There was a sigh of relief among Kenyans yesterday when Kagwe announced that the country had not recorded more coronavirus cases.

In 2002, he took a plunge into politics, successfully vying for Mukurwe-ini parliamentary seat on Narc ticket.

During his stint as ICT minister,  Kenya ditched satellite technology and embraced Fibre Optic Cables that would see a drastic drop in call tariffs and increase in internet speeds.

Kagwe, along with his then Permanent Secretary Bitange Ndemo, spearheaded construction of the Transformational East African Marine System, the first Fibre Optic Project for Eastern Africa.

It was also during his tenure that Safaricom’s M-Pesa was launched, the first-ever mobile money transfer system in the world. He, however, lost his parliamentary seat in 2007 to Kabando wa Kabando. In 2013, he was elected Nyeri senator.

However, in 2017, he unsuccessfully make a stab for the Nyeri governor seat after losing in the Jubilee party primaries.

Signs that Kagwe would be given a lifeline became apparent when he was accorded the honour of emceeing President Uhuru Kenyatta’s Sagana State Lodge meeting with Mt Kenya leaders late last year. 

For a Kenya that yearns for leadership in times of crises, the country is glad he came back at such a time as this— to lead the war against coronavirus.