Eric Kiraithe pushed out as Govt spokesperson

Colonel (Rtd) Cyrus Oguna has been appointed as Government spokesperson replacing Eric Kiraithe who was appointed to the position in March 2016.

The appointment was announced in a statement released by ICT Cabinet Secretary Joe Mucheru on Tuesday. The move has been made in a bid to streamline the State’s communication strategy.

“In line with directions from the Executive Office of the President through the Head of the Public Service, the office of the Government Spokesman shall be domiciled at the ICT Ministry,” the statement read.

The appointment puts the retired military man at the helm of the government’s communication office.

He will speak for all ministries and will be tasked with handling communication crisis’.

In his new role, he will oversight the Directorate of Information and all county and sub-county information officers, Department of Public Communication and all officers seconded to ministries and government agencies, the National Government Communication Centre (NGCC) and the Government Media Centre, currently located on 11th floor of Teleposta Towers.

He will also have content oversight role over Kenya News Agency and MyGov.

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Oguna has previously held various positions relating to the management of personnel, operations and communications within the Kenya Defence Forces (KDF).

In January, a taskforce led by former Radio Africa Group chief editor David Makali was appointed to give recommendations on how the government’s could improve its communications strategy.

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The statement was mum on Kiraithe’s next posting.