He succeeded minister Hisham Arafat who resigned after the Ramses Station rail disaster.

Kamel al-Wazir had been heading the Engineering Authority of the Armed Forces before being appointed the minister.

[2][3] During his tenure, an accident happened as two trains collided in Upper Egypt, for which he issued an official apology.

He was involved in key projects of Egypt like digging of the new Suez Canal, developing the Al Galala Plateau in Ain Sukhna.

President el-Sisi justified the appointment by saying “I’m giving the ministry to one of the best military officers”.