Principal Secretary for Youth Affairs and Creative Economy Fikirini Jacobs.
For years, Mnagoni in Kilifi County was the kind of village few people outside Ganze Sub-County spoke about.
The village is tucked away in a quiet, remote corner of the county within the dry Bamba Ward, where opportunities appear distant.
On Sunday, residents watched as the village came alive when President William Ruto graced a thanksgiving service honouring one of their own, Youth Affairs Principal Secretary Fikirini Jacobs.
President William Ruto addressing the Hindi area in Lamu County in this photo taken on 22nd May 2026.
For Mr Jacobs, 29, the moment was the culmination of a journey he described as shaped by faith, community support and a series of opportunities that transformed him from a student at Mnagoni Primary School into the youngest Principal Secretary in the Kenya Kwanza government.
“The community gathered here is immensely happy because today Mnagoni, which at one point seemed forgotten, has hosted the President of Kenya. The main purpose that brought us here is to thank God because we were remembered, and the one who remembered us is our chief guest,” Mr Jacobs said.
Standing before residents, political leaders and family members at the grounds of his former primary school, Mr Jacobs reflected on a difficult path that led him to wine and dine with top leaders.
His journey included church fundraisers to complete his university education, a county government appointment after missing out on a Senate nomination and eventually elevation to the national stage with just one and a half years’ experience in public service.
Cabinet Secretary for Mining, Blue Economy and Maritime Affairs Hassan Ali Joho, delivers his speech during the MICE Kenya Mining Investment Conference and Expo, themed “Partnerships for Prosperity: Advancing Value-Led Mining in Kenya,” at Argyle Grand Hotel, Nairobi Airport, along Mombasa Road, Nairobi, on April 29, 2026.
The former firebrand student leader at Maasai Mara University and Pwani University, where he had run-ins with authorities, revealed that it was Mining Cabinet Secretary Hassan Joho who encouraged him to pursue new opportunities in the broad-based government formed by President William Ruto and former ODM leader Raila Odinga.
“Joho called me and told me there were opportunities ahead and I should stay close. I told him I did not have enough experience, but he said one and a half years was enough and that I should try and we would see what comes next,” he said.
At the time, Mr Jacobs was the director of the Kilifi County Government Delivery Unit under Governor Gideon Mung’aro. The governor disclosed that the unit had operated without a director for a while, deliberately waiting for Mr Jacobs’ graduation in 2023.
The PS received the appointment after missing out on the ODM Senate nomination. He had anticipated the Senate seat for stepping down in favour of Kilifi Senator Stewart Madzayo ahead of the 2022 General Election.
“In 2025, after only one and a half years in that position, that experience became the credential used to appoint me as Principal Secretary. For many people, that experience would have been considered too little.
“Maybe Governor Mung’aro thought he was simply helping me earn a living, but God had planned for it to become a higher stepping stone,” he said, adding that some questioned his age when he was appointed, claiming he was too young for the role.
Mr Jacobs revealed that he was initially worried when the appointment came, but received guidance from President Ruto, Head of Public Service Felix Kosgei and other leaders in government. He urged state agencies to follow the example set by the president and create opportunities for young people.
His wife, Ms Mary Jacobs, took note of the challenge of balancing family and work duties. She, however, assured the president that they had agreed on the matter.
“Since he is a politician and his work is demanding, I told him I would take care of the family as he works. So he should not give you any excuse about family matters. Call him anytime and he will come,” she said.
Former Premier Raila Odinga at his office at Capitol Hill Square in Nairobi on July 20, 2017.
The PS credited Raila for mentoring him into politics. Raila noticed him when he insisted on addressing the former prime minister’s rally outside Pwani University despite reservations from some leaders.
Those reservations may have stemmed from his background as a student leader who always spoke his mind to the chagrin of authorities.
At Maasai Mara University, Mr Jacobs was expelled for allegedly inciting students in 2017 when he was deputy president of the university’s student union.
While serving the indefinite expulsion, he joined Pwani University later that year, where he dropped his initial Bachelor of Education (Arts) course and switched to a Bachelor of Arts in Philosophy and Political Science.
He was elected president of the Pwani University Students Association while in his second year of studies. Mr Jacobs was expelled in 2020, together with other leaders, following a student strike.
Kilifi North MP Owen Baya revealed that it took the intervention of Mr Joho and Senate Speaker Amason Kingi, then ODM members and governors of Mombasa and Kilifi respectively, to reinstate him to the university.
“They told me that since I was previously a lecturer at Pwani University, I should speak to the administration and help him return to complete his degree because they had seen something special in him,” Mr Baya said.
However, an attempt to have Mr Jacobs apologise to the university administration proved futile. He insisted that he was fighting for what was right as a leader.
“I thought I would be the one lecturing him, but instead he ended up lecturing me. I then asked him to write a letter and bring it to me. The letter had a lot of English in it, but no apology.
“I edited the letter, called him over and made him sign it. It took us more than an hour to convince him. After that, I took it to the university and he was allowed to return and complete his studies,” the MP added.
Even then, Mr Joho said there was still pressure from one lecturer who opposed Mr Jacobs’ reinstatement at the university. He said he had to intervene together with Mr Kingi, urging teachers against habitually expelling learners from school.
In his speech, President Ruto admitted that it was uncommon for someone to become a PS with little experience in public service. According to Dr Ruto, the position has often been reserved for people with at least 20 years’ experience in the past.
He said Mr Jacobs was recommended to him by Raila, and he agreed to give him the opportunity, adding that they had made the right decision.
“It is our demonstration in the belief that young people can also make necessary contribution to the development of our nation,” the president said.
The event also came as a boost for Mnagoni Primary School, with Dr Ruto contributing Sh20 million towards the construction of classrooms following an appeal by the administration.
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