Former Mombasa Governor Hassan Joho has welcomed his nomination to Cabinet with a show of gratitude to President William Ruto saying he will give it his best if approved.
Ruto on Wednesday named Joho the ministerial nominee for Mining, Blue Economy and Maritime Affairs.
He was among 10 more faces in Ruto's new-look Cabinet, bringing to 20 the total number of nominees.
The President is yet to name the nominee to the office of the Attorney General and EAC and Regional Affairs ministry.
In his acceptance message, Joho thanked the President for bestowing upon him the honour to serve in his second Cabinet.
“I extend my sincere gratitude to the Almighty Allah for this opportunity to once again serve the great people of Kenya in a different capacity,” Joho said on X.
The President is expected to submit the names of the fresh nominees to Parliament for vetting alongside the first batch of nominees whose faces he unveiled on July 19.
Speaker Moses Wetang’ula on Tuesday said he would forward the names to the Committee on Appointments of the House for consideration and tabling of the report within 28 days.
“Upon confirmation, I look forward to working closely with all relevant stakeholders to ensure the Blue Economy, Mining and Maritime sectors take a leading role in the socio-economic transformation of our nation,” Joho said.
His former political nemesis and current EALA MP Hassan Omar congratulated Joho for the appointment.
The former Mombasa Governor described Joho as his brother. Hassan was previously in the Wiper party, a constituent Azimio party together with ODM in which Joho serves as deputy party leader.
“Congratulations to my brothers from the other father of the other mother of my other family ya Chungwa. With open arms, welcome to the government and let's together make a difference. Grateful that my brothers are joining us,” Omar said.
Joho was nominated to the new-look cabinet alongside other Azimio leaders Wycliffe Oparanya, also ODM deputy party leader; Opiyo Wandayi, Minority leader in the National Assembly and John Mbadi, nominated MP.
Mbadi was handed the powerful National Treasury docket, Oparanya was given the Cooperatives and MSME Development ministry while Wandayi was given the Energy and Petroleum docket.