Three more PSs lost jobs in reshuffle

President Uhuru Kenyatta at a past event. Three more Principal Secretaries lost their jobs during Tuesday’s government reshuffle, it has been established. PHOTO | JEFF ANGOTE | NATION MEDIA GROUP 

In Summary

• The names of the three, Dalton Konchella (East African Community), Tiampati Musuni (ICT) and Dr Wilson Songa (Industrialisation and Enterprise Development) were conspicuously missing.
• It was not immediately clear why the President relieved the three of their duties even as he increased the number of PSs from the initial 26 to 41.
• On Thursday, a section of Maasai elders from Narok County, where both Mr Konchella and Mr Tiampati hail from, protested their sacking arguing they had not been linked to any corruption scandals in their respective dockets.

By GEORGE SAYAGIE
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By PETER LEFTIE
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Three more Principal Secretaries lost their jobs during Tuesday’s government reshuffle, it has been established.

The names of the three, Dalton Konchella (East African Community), Tiampati Musuni (ICT) and Dr Wilson Songa (Industrialisation and Enterprise Development) were conspicuously missing in the list of 41 PSs announced by President Uhuru Kenyatta on Tuesday night.

In their places, President Kenyatta settled on Ms Betty Chemutai Maina to the renamed State Department of East African Community Integration, Victor Kyalo to the renamed department of ICT and Innovation and Julius Korir to the renamed department of Industry and Enterprise Development.

It was not immediately clear why the President relieved the three of their duties even as he increased the number of PSs from the initial 26 to 41.

In his speech, Mr Kenyatta said he had decided to increase the number of State departments and assign a PS to head each of them with a view to increasing efficiency in their management and fighting corruption.

“It is clear from our past experience that some departments were far too large and difficult to administer, in some cases they were not aligned to key government objectives,” Mr Kenyatta explained.

“Therefore after extensive consultations with the Public Service Commission, I have increased the number of State departments from the current 26 to 41 in order to address these deficiencies.

"It is my expectation that a large number of our anti-corruption initiatives will be implemented through these State departments, in particular the overhaul of all procurement departments within the ministries and the State corporations under them,” he went on.

On Thursday, a section of Maasai elders from Narok County, where both Mr Konchella and Mr Tiampati hail from, protested their sacking arguing they had not been linked to any corruption scandals in their respective dockets.

They claimed Mr Tiampati could have been sacked because of his close working relationship with elected leaders from the county who are opposed to the current governor, Samuel Tunai.

They read Mr Tunai’s hand in the sackings given that both Mr Tiampati and Mr Konchella challenged him for the governor’s seat during the 2013 General Election.

“We are wondering why the Jubilee government is sidelining the Maasai community by sacking our sons,” said former Transport Licensing Board (TLB) chairman Hassan Ole Kamwaro.

Incidentally, Mr Tiampati was sacked hours after he had been endorsed by elders from the powerful Purko clan to challenge Mr Tunai during the 2017 General Election.

It was, however, not lost to observers that Mr Kenyatta appointed two PSs from the county, including former Ewuaso Ng’iro South Development Authority boss Charles Sunkuli (Environment) and Saitoti Torome (Planning and Statistics).

Mr Sunkuli happens to be a younger brother of former Cabinet minister Julius Sunkuli and Andrew Sunkuli, who both contested the Narok senatorial seat but lost to Joseph Ole Ntutu, who is leading the anti-Tunai forces.
On Thursday, the National Gender and Equality Commission urged Parliament to reject President Kenyatta’s list of nominees as it did not meet the gender rule and neither did it reflect the face of the nation.

“Article 232 of the Constitution provides for the values of public service which include; representation of Kenya’s diverse communities, affording adequate and equal opportunities for appointment, training and advancement at all levels of the public service; of men and women the members of all ethnic groups and persons with disabilities,” said the commission’s chairperson Winfred Lichuma.

“Sub article (8) obligates the State to take legislative and other measures to implement the principle that not more than two-thirds of elective and appointive bodies shall be of the same gender,” she added.