Former President Uhuru’s chief agent in the 2017 elections Davis Chirchir has been appointed chief of staff at Deputy President William Ruto’s office ahead of the August 9, elections.
Chirchir, who also served as a Cabinet Secretary for Energy and Petroleum in Uhuru’s first Cabinet between 2013-2017 officially assumed his roles on Tuesday, March 1, just a week after his appointment.
He succeeds the late Ken Osinde who passed away on December 10, 2021, at the Nairobi Hospital after a short illness.
A memo to the staff-written by Administrative Secretary Shadrack Mwadime yesterday asked the staff at William Ruto’s team to attend the meeting.
“You are invited for a meeting with the new Chief of Staff on Tuesday,” read the memo seen by Kivumbi.co.ke.
Sources said that the deputy president hired Chirchir as part of his strategies to win the presidential elections since he is well versed with election strategies and information technology, having worked at the Kenya Posta and Telecommunications Corporation and the Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC).
Chirchir lost his CS position following legal suits preferred against him by the Ethics and Anti-Corruption Commission over allegations of impropriety at the Kenya Power and Lighting Company (KPLC).
In July 2017, President Uhuru reinstated Chirchir as the chief agent for the Jubilee party.
He was part of President Uhuru’s team that was accused of election malpractice, allegations that were fronted by former Prime Minister Raila Odinga that led to the nullification of presidential results by the Supreme Court.
He was further accused of tampering with tender processes in contracts worth KSh 56 billion. EACC asked the Office of the Director of Public Prosecution (ODPP) to drop all charges over insufficient evidence.
Chirchir is a Bachelor of Science graduate from the University of Nairobi and has a Master of Business Administration from Royal Holloway, University of London.