Many people became familiar with Dr. Gumato Ukur Yatani when she hit the headlines after landing two state jobs on Friday, November 15.
She is the wife of acting Treasury CS Ukur Yatani, who is also the Labour CS.
In a Gazette notice, Dr. Gumato was appointed the chairperson of the Jomo Kenyatta University of Agriculture and Technology (Jkuat) council by Education CS George Magoha.
On the same day, CS Peter Munya also appointed her as a member of the Taskforce on Standards and Quality Infrastructure Reforms in Kenya.
The appointment sparked a debate on social media with many people launching attacks at the CS. A number of them thought that the CS himself had appointed his wife to the boards.
Interestingly, she shares a name with her husband (Ukur Yatani) and the husband’s late mother. (Gumato Yatani).
Dr. Gumato served as a commissioner at the National Gender and Equality Commission from April 11, 2013.
Currently, she is the convener of the Minorities and Marginalized Department at the Commission.
She holds an MBA in Human Resource Management from the University of Nairobi and a Bachelor of Education degree from Moi University.
The CS’s wife once worked as an undersecretary in the Office of the President and a board chair for the Integrated Pastoralist Development (IPAD).
She has been at the forefront of fighting for the rights of Minorities and Marginalized groups.
Along with her husband Ukur, she founded the Kanacho Nomadic Educational Foundation in 2009, a charitable foundation that addressed education and rural poverty challenges in northern Kenya.
The couple has two children.
