By Prudence Minayo
Davis Chirchir (born in 1960) is an IT guru who has an enviable experience working in the corporate world and is distinguishing himself as a trusted political operative. He is credited for the role he played in the success of the Jubilee administration in 2013 and 2017 general elections.
The 62 year old burst into the limelight following his appointment as the Energy Cabinet Secretary. In 2015, he was forced out of the cabinet position after he was implicated in questionable acquisition of voting materials used in the 2013 general elections. It was alleged that he received millions in kickbacks so as to give Smith and Ouzman, a British company, contracts to print the ballot papers. He reportedly received Sh90 million to award Kenya Power a contract. Despite being questioned by the Ethics and Anti Corruption Commission, no charges were levelled against him. President William Ruto reappointed him CS Energy.
Here is his education background as told by WoK.
Education
He has a Master of Business Administration in International Business from Royal Halloway, University of London.
Career
The technocrat started his career at the defunct Kenya Posts and Telecommunications Corporation (KPTC). He rose through the ranks to become the general manager. Chirchir moved on to Telkom Kenya as a senior manager. Between 2011 and 2013, he worked as the secretary general for the United Democratic Party (URP).
He was appointed to the cabinet in 2013, a position he enjoyed until he was implicated in corrupt dealings.
Davis Chirchir previously worked as the Information Technology director at the now defunct Interim Independent Electoral Commission (IIEC).
During the 2017 disputed general elections, he was once again thrust into the limelight after Hon. Raila Odinga accused him of tampering with the servers in order to ensure president Uhuru’s win. At the time, the president had appointed him chief presidential agent.
During the preparations for the 2022 general elections, he was appointed the Chief of Staff at the Office of the deputy president, William Ruto.
The announcement was confirmed by Dr. William Ruto’s spokesperson, Emmanuel Talam.
“Yes, he is the new Chief of Staff at the Office of the DP, he has been appointed by the Public Service Commission and the appointment takes effect starting March 1,” he told People Daily.
This position fell vacant following the death of Ken Osinde who passed away while receiving treatment at Nairobi Hospital.
CS position
The president loyalist was named Energy cabinet secretary on 27/September 2022.
