President William Ruto has made changes to his cabinet, after appointing Geoffrey Ruku as the new Cabinet Secretary for Public Service and Hanna Cheptumo as the Cabinet Secretary for Gender.
The changes, announced in a gazette notice dated April 16, 2025, saw Justin Muturi removed from his role in Public Service.
While the appointments sailed through Parliament’s Committee on Appointments on Monday, controversy erupted following Cheptumo’s vetting, particularly over comments she made regarding femicide — a crisis that continues to grip the country.
Cheptumo, the widow of former Baringo Senator William Cheptumo, faced a wave of criticism from women’s rights groups who questioned both her qualifications and her understanding of gender issues.
Critics say her appointment appears more political than merit-based — a reward for her late husband’s loyalty to the President.
Cheptumo said she is a lawyer and describes herself as a women’s rights advocate.
But it was Cheptumo’s own words during her vetting that have stirred national outrage.
Asked about the alarming rise in femicide cases in Kenya, she responded:
“They are educated, but those are looking for money. You know a girl has many needs.”
Her remarks drew immediate fire from women activists who condemned the statement as a dangerous example of victim-blaming.
“It amounts to victim-blaming, suggesting that women are responsible for their own violent deaths. This is not only factually incorrect but also deeply offensive and harmful,” the group said in a joint statement.
The activists felt that as a woman, the Cabinet nominee was expected to be more sympathetic to women in the fight against rising femicide in Kenya.
To put it into context, Kenya recorded 725 femicide cases last year alone — approximately 47 women killed every week — according to the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime.
Most victims were murdered by people known to them, such as intimate partners, relatives, or friends.
Activists have pointed out that Cheptumo’s remarks ignore the harsh realities, including that many victims are minors, some as young as 12, who were attacked in their homes, by people known to them.
Wangu Kanja, founder of the Wangu Kanja Foundation, said Cheptumo’s views highlight the systemic rot at the heart of the problem:
“Femicide is rooted in deeply entrenched patriarchal attitudes and systemic failures… No woman deserves to be killed, period.”
During her vetting, Cheptumo struggled to offer concrete strategies to combat the femicide crisis — an issue now at the heart of a growing public petition by Usikimye Kenya. The petition calls on the government to legally define femicide as a crime, strengthen protections, and ensure proper investigations and support for survivors.
Meanwhile, President Ruto also appointed 14 new Principal Secretaries, including Dr. Jane Imbunya, Regina Akoth, Cyrell Wagunda, Dr. Caroline Karugu, Dr. Fredrick Oluga Ouma, Ahmed Ibrahim, Judith Pareno, Boniface Makokha, and Prof. Shaukar Abdulrazak.
Others are Stephen Isaboke, Michel Lenasalon, Frikirini Kahindi, Carren Achieng, and Aden Millah.
