Industrialisation Principal Secretary Wilson Songa at a past event. He
topped the list of PSs who were left in limbo after the President
announced a new-look government that brought new faces to the Cabinet
and increased the number of departments. FILE PHOTO |
NATION MEDIA GROUP
President Kenyatta quietly sent three principal secretaries
packing even as he raided the corporate world for people to run key
departments of his government.
Industrialisation’s
Wilson Songa topped the list of PSs who were left in limbo after the
President announced a new-look government that brought new faces to the
Cabinet and increased the number of departments.
Information
PS Joseph Tiampati and his counterpart at the East African Affairs,
John Konchellah, were also sent home in the changes announced on Tuesday
night.
Unlike their counterparts who were dismissed
while on suspension for involvement in alleged corruption, the three
were in office and had not been implicated in any wrongdoing.
President
Kenyatta made the changes as part of an effort that began on Monday to
clean up his government that has in recent months been tainted by
allegations of grand corruption and mismanagement.
In
what appears to confirm his belief in private sector solutions to the
challenges of government, the President went back to corporate Kenya for
new blood he needed to revamp his Cabinet even as he took back two
career politicians at the centre of power, making an about-turn on his
earlier commitment to surround himself with technocrats.
The
President’s list of new blood from the private sector has Kenya Seed
Company MD Willy Bett, who has been nominated to serve in the giant
Agriculture ministry, Nairobi Hospital chief executive Cleopa Mailu
(Health) and former Google executive Joe Mucheru, who is lined up for
the ICT docket.
Serving corporate executives appointed
as PSs to head State departments are Equity Investment Bank managing
director Wilson Nyakera Irungu
(Transport), Ewaso Ngiro
South Development Authority boss Charles Sunkuli (Environment), Kenya
country director of Trademark East Africa Chris Kiptoo (International
Trade) and Agriculture Development Corporation managing director Andrew
Tuimur (Livestock).
Other PSs are Susan Mochache, who
serves as an assistant director at the Communications Authority of
Kenya, who is earmarked for Social Security and Services docket; ICT
Authority boss Victor Kyalo (ICT & Innovation), UN Nairobi training
coordinator Lilian Omollo (Youth and Public Service), Danish Embassy
private sector specialist Joe Okudo (Arts and Culture), Fatuma Hirsi of
Universal Postal Union, World Bank sanitation expert Patrick Nduati
Mwangi (Irrigation) and Andrew Kamau, consultant at Bracewell Energy,
who takes charge of Petroleum department.
Past
corporate executives on the list of PSs include former KAM chief
executive Betty Maina (EAC Integration), former Equatorial Commercial
Bank boss Sammy Itemere (Broadcasting and Telecommunications), former
Kenya Maritime Authority director-general Nancy Karigithu (Maritime
Commerce) and former Cotton Development Authority boss Micah Powon
(Correctional Services).
The changes announced on Tuesday night were President Kenyatta’s first Cabinet shuffle since assuming power in April 2013.
His
second wave of hiring from the corporate world comes at a time the
performance of serving Cabinet secretaries picked from the private
sector is under the spotlight as the UhuRuto administration enters the
second half of its term.
The executive changes also
saw the appointment of Kericho Senator Charles Keter to the lucrative
Energy ministry, former Laikipia East MP Mwangi Kiunjuri (Devolution)
and Malindi lMP Dan Kazungu (Mining).
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