20100816
africanews

NAIROBI (Reuters) - Kenya's President Mwai Kibaki appointed Chirau Ali Mwakwere trade minister on Monday, moving the incumbent Amos Kimunya to the Transport Ministry and shuffling five other ministers around.

Mwakwere, a key ally of the president from the coast region, was transport minister until February when he lost his parliamentary seat after a court petition. He won back the seat in a by-election.

The reshuffle, made in consultation with the Prime Minister Raila Odinga, saw the ministers of the east African community, fisheries development, special programmes, youth and sports and gender and children change portfolios.

There has been a clamour in a section of the grand coalition government that was formed to end a post-election violence in 2008 to jettison cabinet ministers who campaigned against a new constitution ratified by voters on August4.

There was no mention of the ministers who opposed the new charter including Higher Education Minister William Ruto in the statement from the presidency which announced the changes.

Only one minister from the "No" camp in the referendum, Naomi Shaban, was affected by the changes. She was moved from minister of state for special programmes to head the Ministry of gender, children and social development, swapping places with Esther Mathenge.