Former Sports Cabinet Secretary Rashid Echesa has landed a state job.

Echesa has  been appointed as the chairperson of the National Council for Occupational Safety and Health.

In Gazette notice dated November 29, 2024, and published by Labour and Social Protection Cabinet Secretary Alfred Mutua, Echesa will head the council for two years.

“In exercise of powers conferred by Sections 28(1) and (2) of the Occupational Safety and Health Act, 2007, as read together with Section 51 (1) of the Interpretation and General Provisions Act, the Cabinet Secretary for Labour and Social Protection appoints Rashid Echesa to be the chairperson of the National Council for Occupational Safety and Health,” the notice reads in part.

The National Council for Occupational Safety and Health (NACOSH) was established under Section 27 of the Occupational Safety and Health Act (OSHA, 2007).

It has an advisory role to the Ministry of Labour and Social Protection on matters of occupational safety and health.

Prior to his appointment, Echesa served as the Chairman of the Kenya Water Tower Agency Board.

His recent appointment comes after Ali Wario’s appointment was revoked. He will now take over the council from November 29 to May 18, 2026.

However, Echesa who has been lucky to serve the government in various capacities, is not new to controversy.

After being dismissed as Sports CS in March 2019, Echesa was arrested in connection with the killings in Matungu, following an event that was attended by then Deputy President William Ruto.

He was later released when police were unable to establish a link between him and the alleged murders. 

In 2020, Echesa found himself back in police custody over alleged connections to a foreign arms supply bid.

After numerous court appearances and hearings, a Nairobi court eventually acquitted him in the Ksh39 billion fake arms scandal due to the Director of Public Prosecution (DPP) not providing key witnesses for the case.

He was also arrested early this year for blackmailing Kakamega county governor Fernandes Barasa.

Despite all the legal battles, Echesa has remained an ally of President Ruto, being one of the pillars for his swoop of votes in western Kenya during the 2022 polls.