Raila's term as PM comes to an end

MONDAY, MARCH 11, 2013 - 00:00 -- BY FRANCIS MUREITHI

The Office of the Prime Minister is now legally extinct. Raila Odinga, who has been the Prime Minister for the last five years, is expected to vacate his office next week.

The PM, who lost to his deputy Uhuru Kenyatta has said he will contest the results of the hotly contested presidential elections. Most of the staff at the PM’s headquarters, will be transferred to other ministries once a new cabinet is set up.

The Transition Authority has already given permission for the new Nairobi county government to take up the space allocated to the PM's office at the former Shell and BP House on Harambee Avenue.

The Nairobi governor-elect Evans Kidero, formerly CEO of Mumias Sugar, is poised to move in as soon as he and other governors are sworn in on March 20, 2013.

Four departments which were under the OPM— the directorate of State Corporations, the Efficiency Monitoring Unit, and the Performance Contracting department will continue operating as they wait to be placed under new ministries once the new Cabinet is established.

The Treasury has not budgeted any salaries and allowances for employees in OPM headquarters for the 2013/14 financial year. Also not factored was monies for utilities and supplies services, communication, domestic and foreign travel, advertising, hospitality among other expenditures under the OPM headquarters.

However money was allocated for implementation of performance contracts, Inspectorate of State Corporations, Efficiency Monitoring Unit as well cash for the Civil Service Reform Secretariat.

The new constitution promulgated in 2010 abolished the PM’s office and adopted an executive president. Under the transitional clauses, the PM’s office was to remain in existence until the elections were held, or the national coalition government was dissolved.

The coalition government was cobbled together in 2008 to end the post election violence. Raila became the second PM since independence.

The first PM was Jomo Kenyatta in 1963 when the Kenya attained independence from Britain. In 1964 when Kenya became a republic, the post of PM was abolished and Kenyatta became President. Raila’s key mandate as PM was to coordinate and supervise the the functions of government including ministries.