President William Ruto has announced the appointment of Henry Rotich, the former Treasury Cabinet Secretary, to the esteemed position of Senior Advisor on Fiscal Affairs and Budget Policy.
This significant decision was conveyed through a formal letter from the Head of the Public Service, Felix Koskei.
Rotich, whose tenure as the head of Macroeconomics at the Treasury preceded his appointment as Cabinet Secretary in 2013, recently emerged from a tumultuous legal battle.
On January 14, 2020, he was relieved from his position amidst a court case in which he was an accused party.
However, the legal clouds looming over Rotich dispersed when the court dropped all charges against him in December.
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The charges pertained to specific breaches under procurement and public finance management laws.
Trial Magistrate Eunice Nyutu declared a lack of substantial evidence, leading to the acquittal of Rotich and his co-accused.
In her statement, Magistrate Nyutu emphasized, "All the accused persons in this case are hereby acquitted under section 210 due to lack of evidence as a result of the reckless dereliction of duty by the prosecution."
Holding a Master’s degree in Economics and a Bachelor of Arts Degree in Economics and Sociology from the University of Nairobi, Rotich is well-equipped to advise on matters of fiscal policy and budgetary affairs.
His appointment has come as a surprise to many Kenyans and sparked some controversy since Rotich who is believed to be Ruto's close ally was linked with the Arror and Kimwarer dams scandal in which Kenyans lost billions of shillings.
Rotich's return to a prominent advisory position signifies a redemption of sorts, following the challenging legal ordeal he faced.