DNK International By Our Correspondent,Nairobi
Mary Muthoni Muriuki, CBS, is the Principal Secretary in the State Department for Public Health and Professional Standards in the Ministry of Health, having assumed office on May 17, 2023.
She previously served as Principal Secretary for the State Department for Correctional Services from December 1, 2022, to May 16, 2023.
In her current role, she also serves as Deputy Dean of Principal Secretaries, Chair of the Health Sector Medium-Term Expenditure Framework (MTEF) Budget Working Groups, and Co-Chair of the Kenya Coordinating Mechanism for the Global Fund Grant.
Born in Kiambuu Village, Ngiriambu Location, Kirinyaga County, Muthoni is an Alumnus of Kabare Girls High School before earning a Bachelor of Education (B.Ed.) from the Catholic University of Eastern Africa.
She later obtained a Master of Business Administration (MBA) in Strategic Management and Marketing from the University of Eastern Africa, Baraton.
She started her professional career in education, serving at Moi High School, Mbiruri, from 2002 to 2008.
She later joined Moi Girls School, Nairobi, where she taught English and Literature until June 2012.
After leaving the classroom, Muthoni transitioned into business leadership and public policy.
She became the first female director of the Kenya National Chamber of Commerce and Industry (KNCCI), serving between 2016 and 2019.
During this period, she was also a member of the Kenya Private Sector Alliance (KEPSA), working closely with international organizations including the World Trade Organization (WTO) and the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD) to coordinate trade and private-sector development initiatives.
She later served as President and Chief Executive Officer of Women in Business Kenya (WIB), where she championed women’s economic empowerment, with particular emphasis on increasing women’s participation in the Government’s Access to Government Procurement Opportunities (AGPO) programme.
Muthoni is also the founder of Women in Business Magazine, the inaugural Chairperson of the Women in Business Awards Kenya, and the founding Executive Director of St-Petroc Premier School, where she chaired the board until December 2022.
She has further served as a member of the Tobacco Control Board of Kenya and as a director of the African Women in Business Alliance.
In 2019, she joined the Kirinyaga County Government under Governor Anne Waiguru as Vice Chair of the Kirinyaga Investment and Development Authority, a position she held until December 2022.
Her entry into national government came in December 2022 when President William Ruto appointed her Principal Secretary for the State Department for Correctional Services.
Less than six months later, she was transferred to the Ministry of Health, where she has since led the State Department for Public Health and Professional Standards.
Muthoni’s professional experience spans more than a decade across the public and private sectors, covering policy development, legislation, financial management, stakeholder engagement, risk management and strategic leadership.
She is married to Jason Nyaga, and together they have four children. She is the daughter of Agnes Kamori and the late Mzee Phillip Muriuki Ngari.
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🗓️ [DNK-International@July 8,2026]
