President Ruto appoints former police spokesperson Owino KIMC council chair

President William Ruto has appointed former police Spokesperson Charles Owino as the new Chairperson of the Kenya Institute of Mass Communication (KIMC) Council.

Owino will replace veteran Journalist Kathleen Openda, whose appointment was revoked by President Ruto.

She was appointed to the position by retired President Uhuru Kenyatta in October 2021 and was supposed to be in office for a period of three years.

According to the September 27, gazette notice Owino will be in office for a period of one year, with his term expiring on October 5, 2024.

"In exercise of the powers conferred by section 7 (3) of the State Corporations Act, I, William Samoei Ruto, President of the Republic of Kenya and Commander-in-Chief of the Defence Forces, appoint Charles Owino Wahong'o to be the Chairperson of the Council to the Kenya Institute of Mass Communication, with effect from the 29th September 2023 up to the 5th October 2024. The appointment of Kathleen Openda is revoked." reads the notice.

Owino retired from the police force to venture into politics where he was to run for the Siaya Governor's position.

He, however, dropped his bid and chose to deputize former Rarieda MP Nicholas Gumbo under the United Democratic Movement (UDM) Party.

Weeks to the polls Owino dropped out of the race after a deal was reached between him and the Jubilee government that saw him return to be a police officer.

After the deal, Gumbo settled for Journalist David Ohito as his running mate who at the time was serving as UDM's party leader Ali Roba's spokesperson.

After President William Ruto emerged victorious in the 2022 elections on a United Democratic Alliance (UDA) ticket, Owino was appointed UDA's Siaya County Coordinator.

The party's Secretary General Cleophas Malala, in a July 2023 statement, said that he would replace Dianga Waore who left the position after his appointment as Chairperson of the Lake Region Development Authority.