Environment, Climate Change, and Forestry Cabinet Secretary Aden Duale has addressed the fate of 113 employees from the defunct Kenya Water Towers Agency (KWTA).
During the meeting held at the Kenya Meteorological Department (KMD) headquarters in Nairobi on Wednesday January 22, CS Duale According to Duale, the employees will be reassigned to the Ministry and its various agencies based on their competencies and skills.
Duale revealed that sixty-eight employees would be redeployed to the Environment and Climate Change State Department, while forty-five would join the Forestry State Department.
“Following the dissolution of the Kenya Water Towers Agency (KWTA) in December 2024 upon the expiry of its mandate, all staff will be redeployed to the Ministry and its agencies based on their competencies,” read the statement in part.
“A finalized placement list will see 68 employees join the Environment and Climate Change department, while 45 will move to the Forestry department.”
Duale Decides Fate of 113 Employees After Water Towers Agency Was Dissolved
The CS noted that the Ministry during the redeployment process considered qualifications, rank, skills, experience, age, disabilities, and current duty stations when developing the placement list.
He urged the transitioning former KWTA staff to uphold professionalism, integrity and good governance principles.
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Established in 2012 under Legal Notice No. 27, KWTA coordinated the protection and sustainable management of Kenya’s water towers.
CS Duale announced the dissolution of KWTA in December last year following the expiry of the legal instrument establishing the agency – Gazette Notice No.31 of April 20, 2012 – over a year ago.
The Ministry said the decision was also in tandem with the ongoing rationalisation of state corporations with overlapping mandates by the government.
Duale stated that KWTA functions have sometimes overlapped with those of other institutions like the Kenya Forest Service, Kenya Forestry Research Institute, and the National Environmental Management Authority.
He also announced the agency’s board was disbanded and its chairperson and directors moved to other government positions.
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Govt Merges, Disbands and Dissolves State Corporations
The decision comes a day after the Cabinet approved the merging of 42 State Corporations with overlapping or related mandates into 20 entities to improve operational efficiency and eliminate redundancy.
At the same time, nine state corporations were dissolved, with their functions transferred to relevant ministries or other state entities, while 16 corporations with outdated functions that can be handled by the private sector will either be divested or dissolved.
The government also announced the disbandment of 13 professional bodies including the Kenya Medical Practitioners and Dentists Council (KMPDC).
Other affected organizations are key regulatory and professional bodies, including the Engineers Board of Kenya, and the Nursing Council of Kenya.
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