Rashid Echesa, former Sports Cabinet Secretary, has been named Chairperson of the Kenya Water Towers Agency Board by President William Ruto.
According to a gazette notice dated May 19, 2023, Echesa will serve for three (3) years, beginning on May 19, 2023.
Echesa served as a Cabinet Minister during retiring President Uhuru Kenyatta’s second term as Head of State until March 1, 2019, when he was relieved of his duties in a Cabinet reshuffle.
His resignation as Cabinet Minister occurred amid a slew of corruption charges that had beset the Sports Committee.
From Class 8 To CS Stardom
Echesa, 35, with basic education, beat out PhD holders to become the CS for Sports and Culture.
Prior to his nomination to the Cabinet, nothing was known about him other than that he was a distinguished political mobilizer when serving as an ODM youth winger until being enticed into Jubilee by DP William Ruto.
His claim to fame came during his vetting by the National Assembly Committee on Appointments when he acknowledged that he did not pass Standard 8.
His shaky academic qualifications, or lack thereof, were a source of contention, with some claiming he was not the ideal man for the post.
In January 2019, Echesa faced the worst disgrace of his life when he was accused of exploiting his position as Cabinet Secretary to bring in several Pakistani ladies with questionable backgrounds.
The eight belly dancers and one Indian dancer were deported on January 4, 2019, for breaking the terms of their temporary permits at the Balle Balle Club in Parklands, Nairobi.
Echesa stated that the women were lawfully in the nation due to his involvement with an Indian cultural event. However, the police said that the eight ladies were suspected of being victims of human trafficking.
