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Kenya’s Cabinet Secretaries, Principal Secretaries and CAS Status

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In this article
  1. Cabinet Secretaries and their portfolios
  2. What is the difference between a CS and a PS?
  3. Principal Secretaries: confirmed updates and examples
  4. What happened to the CAS positions?
  5. The Cabinet gender-balance case
  6. Sources and useful links

Kenya’s Cabinet Secretaries head ministries, while Principal Secretaries administer State Departments. These are different offices with different appointment arrangements. Chief Administrative Secretaries (CASs) have a separate and disputed legal history.

The Cabinet table below follows the Presidency’s published roster, checked on 3 November 2026, with ministry sources used to clarify portfolio names. The PS section highlights confirmed changes and examples; it is not a complete directory of all State Departments.

Cabinet Secretaries and their portfolios

Portfolio Cabinet Secretary
Prime Cabinet Secretary; Foreign and Diaspora Affairs Musalia Mudavadi
Interior and National Administration Kipchumba Murkomen
National Treasury and Economic Planning John Mbadi
Defence Soipan Tuya
Health Aden Duale
Education Julius Migos Ogamba
Agriculture and Livestock Development Mutahi Kagwe
Roads and Transport Davis Chirchir
Lands, Public Works, Housing and Urban Development Alice Wahome
Environment, Climate Change and Forestry Deborah Mulongo Barasa
Water, Sanitation and Irrigation Eric Muriithi Muuga
Energy and Petroleum Opiyo Wandayi
Mining, Blue Economy and Maritime Affairs Hassan Ali Joho
Investments, Trade and Industry Lee Kinyanjui
Co-operatives and MSME Development Wycliffe Oparanya
Information, Communications and the Digital Economy William Kabogo
Tourism and Wildlife Rebecca Miano
Labour and Social Protection Alfred Mutua
Public Service and Human Capital Development Geoffrey Ruku
Gender, Culture and Children Services Hanna Wendot Cheptumo
Youth Affairs, Creative Economy and Sports Salim Mvurya
East African Community, the ASALs and Regional Development Beatrice Askul Moe

The President is William Ruto, the Deputy President is Kithure Kindiki, and the Attorney-General is Dorcas Oduor. Mercy Wanjau is Secretary to the Cabinet, a separate office established by Article 154; that position is not included in the Constitution’s definition of Cabinet membership under Article 152.

Some official directories abbreviate portfolio names. For example, the Presidency labels Hanna Cheptumo’s portfolio “Gender”, while the Gender Department’s 2026 publications use “Gender, Culture and Children Services”.

What is the difference between a CS and a PS?

Under Article 152, the President nominates Cabinet Secretaries and appoints them with National Assembly approval. A CS cannot also be a Member of Parliament. The Constitution provides for between 14 and 22 Cabinet Secretaries, alongside the President, Deputy President and Attorney-General.

Under Article 155, each State Department is administered by a Principal Secretary. The President nominates PSs from people recommended by the Public Service Commission, appoints them with National Assembly approval, and may reassign them. A ministry can contain several State Departments, so there is not necessarily one PS per CS.

Principal Secretaries: confirmed updates and examples

A 2025 list is no longer sufficient to identify every current PS. In June 2026, Julius Bitok moved from Basic Education to Tourism, while John Ololtuaa moved from Tourism to Basic Education. The Tourism Ministry’s leadership page and subsequent Education Ministry publications reflect these postings.

State Department Principal Secretary Official confirmation used
Basic Education John Ololtuaa Education Ministry news, July 2026
Tourism Julius Bitok Tourism Ministry leadership page and August 2026 news
National Treasury Chris Kiptoo Treasury IBEC publication, March 2026
Public Service and Human Capital Development Jane Kere Imbunya Departmental publications, January–July 2026
East African Community Caroline Karugu Ministry performance-contract publication, March 2026
ASALs and Regional Development Kello Harsama Ministry performance-contract publication, March 2026

State House also records the swearing-in of 14 new PSs on 17 April 2025. That announcement is useful as an appointment record, but it should not be presented as a complete current PS list or proof that every appointee has stayed in the same department.

For a department not shown here, check its recent official publications and the relevant appointment or reassignment notice in the Kenya Gazette. Older biography pages can remain online after a transfer, so compare them with dated announcements.

What happened to the CAS positions?

It is inaccurate to explain the position simply as “CAS jobs were struck out and no longer exist”. There have been both court decisions and later legislation:

  • 3 July 2023: In Matindi v National Assembly, the High Court declared the challenged complement of 50 CAS positions unconstitutional and quashed the March 2023 appointment notification. The judgment identified the lack of public participation for the additional 27 positions among its findings.
  • 2024: Parliament amended the National Government Co-ordination Act. Section 12A expressly establishes the office of Chief Administrative Secretary in the public service. This statutory provision must be acknowledged when discussing the office’s legal status.
  • 20 November 2025: In Magare-Gikenyi B v Attorney-General, the High Court declined to determine the CAS-related constitutional issues, recording that they were before the Court of Appeal.

A statutory provision, a nomination and an effective appointment are different things. Do not use the quashed 2023 list as a directory of serving officials. An individual’s current appointment needs its own supporting notice; the historical court rulings alone do not establish who is serving today.

The Cabinet gender-balance case

The Cabinet’s composition has also faced a separate constitutional challenge. The High Court’s 30 June 2026 judgment found that its gender composition did not comply with Article 27(8) and directed compliant appointments within 120 days. Reporting on 30 October said the deadline had expired without compliance and noted the National Assembly’s appeal.

That dispute concerns constitutional compliance. The table above identifies the published officeholders; it should not be read as a claim that the litigation has ended or that the composition has been judicially approved.

Tip: Before addressing an official letter, confirm the officeholder and exact department name against a recent official announcement. A dated appointment notice is stronger evidence than an undated list copied between websites.