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President William Ruto’s daughter Charlene Ruto was moved to tears by the story of Nathan Kiplangat Kikwai who she introduced as the Executive Director of her foundation SMACHS Foundation.
Kiplangat spoke during the commissioning of the 2023 Mashav Agricultural Programme at State House on Tuesday, August 15.
He shared his experience of Israel, where he had gone to participate in the Mashav Agricultural Programme.
"Today I shed a tear or two as I heard him share his story and experiences in Israel under the Mashav Agricultural Programme, a programme which he is a proud alumni, of which about 200 young Kenyans have been competitively chosen for," she said.
Charlene recognised the hard work her top executive had done and praised his commitment to the organisation.
“Late last year, God gave me a gift in Nathan Kikwai, the executive director of my foundation SMACHS, a truly resilient and hardworking young man,” she said.
The foundation is involved in smart mechanized agriculture & climate action for sustainability.
Before joining the organisation , Kiplangat served as the secretary general of the University of Nairobi Student Association from 2020 to 2022.
During the ceremony, First Lady Rachel Ruto said the 2023 Mashav Agricultural Training Programme is a product of the strong relationship between Kenya and Israel working together to share knowledge and experience in agriculture.
The trainees will travel to Israel for an 11-month practical training at the Arava International Centre for Agricultural Training (AICATl).
The programme will build skills and competitiveness through the transfer of knowledge and technology.
She reiterated that President Ruto’s Bottom-Up Economic Transformation Agenda (BETA) prioritises agriculture as a key sector for economic growth, food security, job creation and industrialisation.