Cabinet approves formation of femicide taskforce, power transition Bill and UoN turnaround plan
President William Ruto chairs a Cabinet meeting at State House, Nairobi, on December 17, 2024.
The Cabinet has on Tuesday approved setting up of a presidential working group on femicide.
The team, which will be gazetted soon, is expected to deliver actionable proposals to address femicide within 90 days of its creation.
"The working group will engage religious leaders, parents, schools, security agencies, and all other stakeholders to identify gaps in law, enforcement, and social values that contribute to this crisis," a despatch from Cabinet indicated.
Leadership transition fine
The meeting chaired by President William Ruto, which is the last for this year, also approved the Assumption of Office of President and Transition of Executive Authority Bill, 2024. The proposed law seeks to impose a Sh10 million fine for State officers who obstruct power handover.
"It consolidates the procedures for the assumption of office and the transfer of executive authority into a single legislative framework. The Bill, now headed to Parliament for consideration, introduces a unified law covering the assumption of office by the President-elect and the transition of executive power," the despatch said.
UoN turnaround
The Cabinet also approved the University of Nairobi's transformation plan aimed at restoring its lost glory. The strategy will focus on green jobs, innovation, AI, leadership and health research.
"Established in 1970, UoN is Kenya’s oldest institution of higher learning, with 10 faculties, 312 academic programmes, and an enrollment of 46,946 students. Despite its rich legacy, the university has faced financial challenges, including unpaid statutory deductions of Sh4.1 billion, pension arrears of Sh7 billion, and pending bills amounting to Sh13.2 billion," the despatch from Cabinet said.
"To tackle these issues, the university has launched the ‘Big 5’ transformational initiatives...following a directive from President Ruto, the Ministry of Education and the university leadership have developed an ambitious 24-month Transformation Strategy, which has been approved by the University Council."
