Sicily Kariuki
Sicily Kanini Kariūki is a Kenyan politician who has been the Cabinet Secretary for Water, Sanitation and Irrigation since January 2020. She previously served as Cabinet Secretary for Health, and before that as Cabinet Secretary for Public Service, Youth and Gender Affairs from December 2015 to January 2018.
She was born in Tumani Village, Ol Kalou, Kenya. Kariūki earned a Bachelor’s degree from the University of Nairobi, a Master of Business Administration from the Eastern and Southern African Management Institute (ESAMI) in partnership with Maastricht School of Management, and a Postgraduate Diploma in Law and Regulation from Michigan State University.
Her career spans business and public service. She has worked with the Kenya Investment Authority, led the Fresh Produce Exporters Association of Kenya as CEO, and served as Managing Director and CEO of the Tea Board of Kenya. In 2012, under her leadership, the tea industry became Kenya’s top foreign exchange earner, bringing in about 130 billion shillings (roughly US$1.3 billion). She also served as Principal Secretary in the Department of Agriculture in the Ministry of Agriculture, Livestock and Fisheries.
In 2018 she was appointed to the WHO Independent High-level Commission on Non-Communicable Diseases by WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus.
This page was last edited on 2 February 2026, at 13:02 (CET).