Our History

In the early dawn of Kenya’s independence, a blueprint for governance quietly took shape. On 7^th June 1963, Prime Minister Jomo Kenyatta issued a circular that placed the Cabinet Office firmly under his wing. To steer this new structure, Mr. G.J. Ellerton was appointed the very first Permanent Secretary and Secretary to the Cabinet, a quiet architect behind the operations of government.

A year later, on 28^th December 1964, the Constitution’s Section 85 came into sharper focus through a Presidential Circular. It spelled out that the Secretary to the Cabinet must be a public officer, doubling as the President’s Permanent Secretary. This role became the pulse of Cabinet operations: setting agendas, recording decisions and ensuring the President’s directives didn’t just stay on paper.

More than a notetaker, the Secretary to the Cabinet became the nerve center of the Civil Service; coordinating ministries, guiding policy execution and holding together the vast machinery of government.

From 1964 to 1979, the title remained unchanged. But as administrations evolved, so did the title, briefly becoming “Chief Secretary” in 1982, shifting back to “Permanent Secretary” in 1986, and then morphing again in 1987 into “Secretary to the Cabinet and Head of Public Service.” In 1993, another refinement: “Permanent Secretary, Secretary to the Cabinet and Head of Public Service.”

This title remained until 2010, when a new Constitution ushered in a new era. Article 154 enshrined the Office of the Secretary to the Cabinet, renewing its central role in managing the business of the Cabinet, still the quiet cog behind Kenya’s executive rhythm.