State Department of Environment and Climate Change Principal Secretary Festus Ng’eno has appointed Edward Muriuki as the Acting Director of Meteorological Services.
In a statement on Monday, October 6, Kenya Met announced that Muriuki assumes the role following the retirement of David Gikungu on July 28, 2025.
Muriuki, a seasoned meteorologist with over three decades of experience, has been a dedicated officer at the Kenya Meteorological Department (KMD) since 1991.
Throughout his long service, he has held several key positions, including Senior Assistant Director in multiple divisions and Deputy Director for Technical and Support Services.
Muriuki has also served as the Principal of the World Meteorological Organization/Regional Training Centre (Institute for Meteorological Training and Research) in Nairobi, and Deputy Director in charge of the Forecasting Services Branch.
Read More
He holds a Master of Science degree in Water Resources Engineering from the University of Dar es Salaam, a Postgraduate Diploma in Hydrology, and a Bachelor of Science degree in Mathematics and Meteorology from the University of Nairobi.
In his remarks following the appointment, Muriuki expressed gratitude and optimism about the future of the department.
"This appointment marks a significant milestone in my career as a Meteorologist and I look forward to enhancing the science of Meteorology and Hydrology in Kenya.
"I look forward to working closely with all our staff at KMD as well as our partners to improve weather and climate service delivery in the Country," he said.
The Kenya Meteorological Department is a government agency under the Ministry of Environment, Climate Change and Forestry.
It is responsible for providing meteorological and climate services across the country.
It was established in 1961 following the breakup of the East African Meteorological Department, which had previously served Kenya, Uganda, and Tanzania under the East African Community.
The department’s main mandate is to provide timely, accurate, and reliable weather and climate information to support safety and disaster risk reduction.
It collects, analyzes, and disseminates weather data to produce forecasts used in various sectors such as aviation, agriculture, energy, marine, and water management.
In addition to forecasting, the department undertakes meteorological and climate research to improve the accuracy of its predictions and to understand the impacts of climate variability and change.
Elsewhere, in November 2023, Kenya Met was forced to own up to its supposed mistake as regards the heavy rains that had been experienced throughout the country.
The Kenya Meteorological Department had issued an advisory regarding El Nino in the month of October.
However, the forecast was dented by the hot sun throughout the month.
In its revised advisory, the department later stated that the rains would not be experienced as witnessed, rather the downpour would be light in nature.
The second forecast would again be deflated by the heavy rains that have so far been experienced in the country in November, leading to floods that have led to deaths and displacement of people in select regions.
Apologising for the inconsistencies in the predictions, Gikungu explained that there was a miscommunication.
"We do apologise for the lack of communication because that was a big mistake. We are sorry about that, but moving forward, let us prepare ourselves for enhanced rainfall as a result of the El Nino phenomenon that we are in," he said.
