President William Ruto has appointed former United Democratic Alliance (UDA) parliamentary candidate Samuel Muchina Nyaga as a member of the Nairobi Rivers Commission, days after he lost the Ol Kalou parliamentary by-election.

The appointment was made through a Special Gazette Notice dated July 22, 2026, and took effect immediately. In the same notice, President Ruto revoked the appointment of Amos Chege Mugo, creating the vacancy filled by Muchina.

The appointment comes less than a week after the Ol Kalou parliamentary by-election, in which Muchina contested on a UDA ticket but lost to Sammy Douglas Kamau Waweru of the Democracy for the Citizens Party (DCP). Following the declaration of the results by the Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC), Muchina publicly conceded defeat and congratulated the winner.

Before the gazette appointment, Muchina had disclosed that President Ruto had asked him to follow up on the implementation of national government development projects in Ol Kalou despite his electoral loss. The latest appointment formally places him in a government commission established to coordinate the rehabilitation and restoration of Nairobi’s major rivers.

The Nairobi Rivers Commission was established to coordinate the implementation of the government’s Nairobi Rivers Regeneration Programme. Its mandate includes restoring the Nairobi, Mathare and Ngong rivers, coordinating environmental rehabilitation projects, improving waste management systems, supporting sewerage infrastructure and working with national and county government agencies on river conservation initiatives.

The commission also oversees implementation of programmes aimed at reclaiming riparian land, reducing pollution and mitigating flooding in parts of Nairobi affected by environmental degradation.

The appointment has attracted political attention because of its timing, coming shortly after the Ol Kalou by-election. However, the gazette notice does not link the appointment to the election outcome or assign any political responsibilities to the new commissioner.

Appointments to public commissions are made through legal instruments published in the Kenya Gazette, which serves as the official record of government decisions. The Special Gazette Notice confirms that Muchina’s appointment took effect on 22 July 2026.

The government has identified the regeneration of Nairobi’s rivers as one of its flagship urban renewal programmes, with ongoing projects involving environmental restoration, affordable housing, sewerage expansion and public infrastructure development along river corridors.

Muchina’s appointment adds him to the team responsible for providing oversight and coordination of those initiatives as implementation continues across Nairobi.