Hon. Onesimus Kipchumba Murkomen.

Cabinet Secretary, Ministry of Interior and National Administration

Hon. Onesimus Kipchumba Murkomen was appointed Cabinet Secretary for the Ministry of Interior and National Administration on 19th December 2024 by H.E. President William Samoei Ruto. Prior to this, Hon Murkomen had served as Cabinet Secretary for Youth Affairs, Creative Economy, and Sports, having previously served as the Cabinet Secretary for Roads and Transport.

Prior to these appointments, Hon. Murkomen was elected three times as Senator for Elgeyo Marakwet, rising to the position of Senate Majority Leader. His legislative contributions include sponsoring the Urban Areas and Cities Amendment Bill (2017) and the Food Security Bill(2017), among others.

As the inaugural chair of the Senate Standing Committee on Devolution & Intergovernmental Relations, Hon. Murkomen played a key role in the implementation of devolution under the 2010 Constitution. His Senate service extended to several committees, including Agriculture, Energy,and the Senate House Business Committee.

Ahead of his Senate tenure, Hon. Murkomen contributed to national initiatives, including serving on the Kenya Anti-Counterfeit Agency Board and the Task Force on Devolved Government,which drafted essential legislation for devolution.

An Advocate of the High Court of Kenya, Hon. Murkomen holds a Law degree from the
University of Nairobi, a Postgraduate Diploma from the Kenya School of Law, and two Master of Laws degrees from American University and the University of Pretoria.

He has lectured at the University of Nairobi, Moi University, and Catholic University, and has participated in leadership programs at institutions like the University of Dar es Salaam and the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA).

Office of the Cabinet Secretary

The Cabinet Secretary is accountable individually and collectively, to the President for the exercise of their powers and the performance of their functions concerning a matter for which the Cabinet Secretary is responsible.

The functions of the Cabinet Secretary entail:

• Provide policy and strategic direction to the Ministry and strengthening institutions to effectively operationalize their mandate; 
• Formulate, present and articulate Cabinet Memoranda, Sessional Papers and other policy issues emanating from the State Department to the Cabinet, National Assembly, Senate or any other fora;
• Provide parliament with full and regular reports concerning matters under his/her control;
• Respond to questions touching on the State Department to the National Assembly and Senate committees; and
• Appoint Board Member of Public Institutions falling under his/her State Department in accordance with the respective statutes.