President William Ruto has today nominated former Kiambu County Finance Chief Officer Faith Njeri Harrison for the position of the Principal Secretary, State Department for Performance Management within the office of the Prime Cabinet Secretary Musalia Mudavadi.
In 2019 during the tenure of the impeached former Kiambu governor Ferdinand Waititu, Njeri and her driver were dramatically arrested and later charged at a Kibera Law Courts for allegedly being in possession of fake US dollars amounting to Sh67, 000.
They were also allegedly driving double cabin Toyota Hilux fixed with government registration GKB 545C, which, at the time, investigators termed them as fake.
“To facilitate transition in the vacancy that has arisen within the ranks of Principal Secretaries, His Excellency the president has on recommendation of the Public Service Commission nominated Faith Njeri Harrison for appointment as the Principal Secretary, State Department for Performance Management within the office of the Prime Cabinet Secretary.” A quick dispatch to newsrooms by Chief of Staff and Head of Public Service Felix Koskei from State House this evening reads in part.
The president picked Njeri while making inaugural mini-cabinet reshuffle involving seven PSs a day after he sacked former Health PS Josephine Mburu over graft allegations.
Until her sacking, Mburu was serving as the PS, State Department of Public Health and Professional Standards.
She alongside other senior ministry officials were sacked over bungled Sh3.7billion Global Fund financed mosquito-net tender at the Kenya Medical Supplies Authority (Kemsa).
In the changes, Mburu will be replaced by Mary Muthoni Muriuki who has been moved from the Interior Ministry’s State Department of Correctional Services to the Health Ministry.
Esther Ngero who was in charge of Performance Management in the office of the Prime Cabinet Secretary has been reassigned to the State Department of Correctional Services.
Engineer Peter Kiplangat Tum who was the PS in charge of Medical Services has been moved to the Sports docket.
PS Jonathan Mueke who was in charge of Sports has been shifted to the Livestock Development wing in the Ministry of Agriculture while Ephantus Kimani who was in charge of the Forestry department moves to the Irrigation department.
Harry Kimtai who was the PS for Livestock Development will now head the Medical Services docket in the Health Ministry.
Gitonga Mugambi who was the Irrigation aepartment PS has been moved to the forestry docket.
During the dramatic arrest four years ago, Njeri and her driver Harrison Kung’u were nabbed by sleuths from Special Crime Unit, a specialised formation domiciled under the Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI) at Parklands on Mpaka Road in Westlands, Nairobi.
At the time, the duo were driving a double cabin car with GK and not county number plates.
They were later booked at Capitol Hill Police Station.
Njeri was later charged that on April 24, 2019 at Parklands along Mpaka Road without lawful authority or excuse, she was found in possession of 670 papers “upon which words and figures letters and lines printed as 100 denomination of dollars of United States of America”. The charge sheet read in part.
She was also charged that on the same day and place, “not being her place of abode, she had with her an article for use in the course of or connection with cheating namely fake dollars”.
On his part, Kun’gu was charged with driving a county car which had unprescribed number plates.
In her statement to the police, Njeri claimed to have been in a meeting with the Controller of Budget in Nairobi and proceeded to Bruce House for an official matter and later to Holiday Inn.
While leaving Holiday Inn, she told police she saw a group of armed people who ordered them to stop near MP Shah Hospital and bundled them in two different cars.
In a convoy of about four cars, they were taken to the Nairobi Area Traffic Police headquarters and later to special crime unit offices where a search was conducted.
According to police, they found 670 papers of fake US dollars each bearing a denomination of $100 on the car seat and Sh50,000 in Njeri’s handbag but in an inventory prepared by detective Cyrus Keter, Njeri indicated that she knew nothing about the dollars but acknowledged having the Sh50,000.
Detective Wilson Koech, in a sworn affidavit, told the court that two were arrested “following an outcry from innocent members of public and foreigners of being conned by fraudsters”, saying that the two were spotted visiting various entertainment joints in Parklands.
Koech, who unsuccessfully requested the court to have the two detained for seven days, indicated they recovered 670 pieces of paper resembling US dollars in 100 denominations, Sh50,000 in 1,000 denominations and county government number plate.
The two denied the charges and Njeri was freed on a bond of Sh1 million with a surety of a similar amount or cash bail of Sh200, 000.
Kung’u was released on a bond of Sh200,000 with an alternative of cash bail of Sh20,000 pending the hearing and determination of the case.
