President William Ruto has appointed former Devolution Principal Secretary Nelson Marwa as the new chairperson of the Nairobi Rivers Commission, replacing Bishop Margaret Wanjiru whose appointment has been revoked.
The appointment was announced in Gazette Notice No. 16248 dated October 16, 2026. Marwa will serve for three years, with his term taking effect on the same date.
The notice, issued under Article 131 of the Constitution and Section 51(1) of the Interpretation and General Provisions Act, formally ends Wanjiru’s appointment to the position.
“In exercise of the powers conferred by Article 131 of the Constitution, as read with section 51 (1) of the Interpretation and General Provisions Act, I, William Samoei Ruto, President of the Republic of Kenya and Commander in Chief of the Defence Forces, appoint Nelson Marwa to be the Chairperson of the Nairobi Rivers Commission, for a period of three (3) years,” the notice states.
It adds that Wanjiru’s appointment has been revoked.
Wanjiru, a city politician and presiding bishop of Jesus Is Alive Ministries, was appointed to lead the commission in late October 2024.
In August 2026, she handed in a 30-day resignation letter to Felix Koskei, Head of Public Service, showing her willingness to resign from the post in order to pursue other interests by August 31.
Her appointment came when the commission was undergoing reorganization to be brought under the Ministry of Lands, Housing and Urban Development.
While in office in the commission, Wanjiru has been mandated to coordinate the activities aimed at restoring the Nairobi River Basin, covering Nairobi, Kiambu, Kajiado, Machakos and Makueni counties.
It involves solving the problem of pollution and also working on rehabilitating the river basin, which has environmental problems.
Now it is Nelson Marwa’s turn to take up the mantle of coordinating the work of the commission in the process of restoring the rivers and surroundings.
His appointment follows another change in the commission’s leadership earlier in the year, when Ruto appointed Samuel Muchina, a former United Democratic Alliance (UDA) candidate in the Ol Kalou parliamentary by-election, to the commission, revoking the appointment of Amos Chege Mugo.
