Former Tharaka Nithi Governor Samuel Ragwa has landed a job as the Chairperson of the National Cereals and Produce Board.
Ragwa now becomes the latest politician joining a long list of individuals who have been rewarded with state appointments in President William Ruto’s administration.
The politician vied unsuccessfully for the senatorial seat on an independent ticket after losing in the United Democratic Alliance (UDA) party primaries to Mwenda Gataya.
The seat was held by Interior CS Kindiki Kithure who opted to take a break from politics.
“In exercise of the powers conferred by section 3 (2) (a) of the National Cereals and Produce Board Act, as read together with section 51 (1) of the Interpretation and General Provisions Act, I, William Samoei Ruto, appoint Samuel Ragwa to be Chairperson of the Board of Directors,” reads the Gazette Notice dated April 20.
His appointment for a three-year period takes effect immediately.
Mutea Iringo is the current chairperson of the board having been picked by retired President Uhuru Kenyatta during his tenure.
Ruto revoked the Gazette Notice No. 10627 of 2021 on his appointment.
NCPB is a commercial State Corporation under the Ministry of Agriculture.
Its mandate is to provide logistics support services to the government on food security matters and to carry out market intervention for grains and farm inputs on behalf of the government and to trade commercially in maize, rice, wheat and in an array of pulses such as beans and green grams.
It also deals in farm inputs like fertilizers and offers grain post-harvest services such as grain drying, grading and aflatoxin testing, pest control, cleaning, storage and warehousing, weighing and bagging besides clearing and forwarding.
Ruto has also appointed Kimathi Mbogori Kigatiira to be the Chairperson of the Board of Directors of the Kenya Veterinary Vaccines Production Institute.
Richard Cheruiyot and Godfrey Lemiso have been appointed to be the Chairpersons of the Export Processing Zones Authority and Rural Electrification and Renewable Energy Corporation respectively for a period of three years.
