By Wanja Waweru

On May 25, 2023, interior cabinet secretary (CS) Prof Kithure Kindiki paid a visit to the home of controversial preacher Paul Mackenzie in Shakahola, Kilifi county.

Mackenzie lived in a disorganized mud grass thatched home that resembled a garbage dump, according to pictures provided by the CS.

There were things all over the place, and there were garments all over the floor, showing that the run-down house was a hive of activity.

The CS confirmed that the search operations across the forest proceeded without interruption in a statement and declared that the State would build security roads inside the ranch to improve the efficiency of the search for those still trapped in the forest.

“The search and rescue efforts at Shakahola forest continue uninterrupted. The Government will construct security roads within Chakama Ranch to enable the ground troops comb the expansive forest and combine forces with the team conducting aerial surveillance to ensure any person still holed up in the thickets is rescued.

“Visited part of Shakahola Forest where rogue preacher Mackenzie was residing, constructed dams for irrigation and was growing various food crops despite radicalising his followers to starve to death,” the CS said.

Earlier, the CS oversaw the postmortem of additional 129 bodies that had been exhumed.

Reverend Sammy Wainaina, the outspoken provost of All Saints Cathedral and a member of the Anglican Church of Kenya (ACK), has criticized President William Ruto’s proposal for a housing fee.

In an interview with Citizen TV, Wainaina asserted that the government’s role is to foster an atmosphere that supports industry and commerce, not to provide homes for its people.

Wainaina expressed sympathy for the plight of some Kenyans by pointing out that some areas of the nation are uninhabitable and that some highways are completed and then abandoned partially.

“No government in the world builds houses for its citizens. Their job is to create an environment where business and commerce can operate, and then provide infrastructure.”

In order to assist more Kenyans in purchasing affordable homes, President Ruto announced in April that the government will strengthen the Housing Fund.

According to him, a solid strategy will be in place as the government launched its program for affordable housing to address how low-income individuals would be able to pay for the units.

Kenyans would then begin the process of becoming home owners by contributing 3% of their income.

“Any worker who contributes 3 per cent, the law will compel his employer to also contribute 3 per cent to the housing fund,” he offered.

Josephine Mburu, the principal secretary who was removed on Monday due to the most recent Kemsa scandal, is presumably new to controversy.

Being fired as the first state appointment in President William Ruto’s administration may have surprised the PS, who has only been in office for five months.

A day after pledging to crack down on alleged corruption at the agency to repair the government’s reputation with foreign funders, Ruto sacked her along with other employees.

“I am doing something about it. You will see results. I want to give you my commitment, I will clean up Kemsa, whatever it takes, whatever it costs,” he said during an interview on Sunday.

Following the Sh7 billion Covid-19 pandemic scam, Mburu is now the focus of an investigation into the Sh3.7 billion mosquito net sale at the agency.

So, who is Mburu?

Mburu was chosen by the President to fill the position out of hundreds of applicants after the Public Service Board’s interviews last November.

Before being appointed, the 56-year-old had worked in the Ministry of Health for 34 years, rising through the ranks to become a lecturer at the publicly owned Kenya Medical Training College.

She has a doctorate in public health from Jomo Kenyatta University and a master’s degree in public health with a focus in epidemiology and a minor in health services management from Kenyatta University College.

Between April and August 2021, she served in various roles including acting chief medical laboratory technologist, head of the microbiology unit, head of the national tuberculosis reference laboratory, and acting head of national public health.

She began working at the Gatundu and Kiambu hospitals’ microbiology sections between 1988 and 1994, according to a sneak peek at her curriculum vitae.

Mburu assured MPs during her parliamentary confirmation that she has never been fired or removed from her position or mentioned in any investigative findings throughout her employment.

“The nominee explained that her training and experience in the health sector since 1988 will enable her to identify the challenges and gaps in the health system to enable her to find solutions to the gaps,” a report from the departmental committee on health reads.