President William Ruto has made five new appointments to parastatals in the latest move to strengthen State institutions.
In the September 12, 2025, issue of the Kenya Gazette, President Ruto appointed Paul Mbatha as the non-executive Chairperson of the Board of the President’s Award for a period of three years.
“IN EXERCISE of the powers conferred by paragraph 5 (1) (a) of the Presidents Award Act, I, William Samoei Ruto, President of the Republic of Kenya and Commander-in-Chief of the Defence Forces, appoint Paul Mbatha to be the non-executive Chairperson of the Board of the President’s Award, for a period of three (3) years, with effect from the 12th September, 2025,” reads the gazette notice.
Ruto named Prof. Francis Ndung’u Kibera as Chairperson of the Board of Trustees of the National Fund for the Disabled of Kenya.
In other appointments, Ahmed Duale Ahmed was re-appointed as the non-executive Chairperson of the Board of Ewaso Ng’iro North River Basin Development Authority for another three-year term.
On maritime matters, the President appointed Lung’azi Chai Mangale to chair the Bandari Maritime Academy Board.
Meanwhile, Ruto has appointed former Ijara MP and Garissa County Assembly Speaker Ahmed Ibrahim Abass as the new Non-Executive Chairperson of the National Syndemic Diseases Control Council (NSDCC) for a period of three years.
Abass will now head the state corporation tasked with leading and coordinating multi-sectoral partnerships in the fight against HIV and other syndemic diseases.
The NSDCC, established under Section 3 of the State Corporations Act, Cap 446, through the National AIDS Control Council Order of 1999 and amended by Legal Notice No. 143 of 2022, plays a crucial role in shaping Kenya’s public health response.
The appointments took effect from September 12, 2025.
