Ruto Appoints Former Energy CS Charles Keter as Advisor
Former Energy Cabinet Secretary Charles Keter has been designated as President William Ruto’s advisor for Great Lakes Region affairs.
Burundi, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Ethiopia, Kenya, Malawi, Mozambique, Rwanda, Zambia, Tanzania, and Uganda are included in the Great Lakes region.
Keter served in the previous government before vying for the Kericho County governor position, which he lost at nominations.
The former CS, who was also the first Senator of Kericho County, will be expected to advise the president on regional policies and approaches in his capacity as regional affairs advisor.
Some countries in the region have been embroiled in civil conflicts and instability, particularly the Democratic Republic of the Congo and Burundi.
Keter, a close ally of the president, chose not to run as an independent candidate after losing nominations from the UDA in a fiercely contested political contest.
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He will join other advisors in assisting Ruto with economic, foreign, and trade affairs, a departure from the previous regime, which had few advisors and delegated the majority of responsibilities to Cabinet Secretaries.
Keter’s political career began in 2002 when he gained a parliamentary seat in Belgut. 2007, he was re-elected by the Orange Democratic Movement (ODM) party for a second term.
In addition to representing the Belgut people in the National Assembly from 2008 to 2013, the politician also served as the assistant minister for energy.
2013, he ran for the Kericho senatorial seat under the Jubilee Coalition headed by former President Uhuru Kenyatta and was elected, becoming the county’s first senator.
In 2015, he was appointed Energy Cabinet Secretary by the Kenyatta administration. In a subsequent reshuffle, Keter was transferred to the Devolution ministry.
Keter resigned from the Cabinet in 2022 to run for governor of Kericho in the August 2022 elections.
However, he lost the United Democratic Alliance (UDA) nomination to the current governor, Eric Mutai.
Ruto Appoints Former Energy CS Charles Keter as Advisor