Should they have quit plum jobs for politics?

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President Mwai kibaki bids farewell to Geoffrey King'angi his former aide-de-Camp who resigned to garner for a Parliamentary seat in Mbeere South, former Gachoka constitueency. He hit a wall at The National Alliance nominations in January; Mr Musyimi was nominated.  NATION

By KENFREY KIBERENGE kkiberenge@ke.nationmedia.com
Posted  Saturday, March 30   2013 at  17:52

IN SUMMARY

• Few Kenyans will forget President Kibaki’s former aide-de-Camp Geoffrey King’ang’i who left office in September to seek the nomination for the Mbeere South constituency seat against Reverend Mutava Musyimi. But he hit a wall at The National Alliance nominations in January; Mr Musyimi was nominated.

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They quit well-paying jobs in the public and private sectors and took a gamble in the world of politics. But while some were successful, others have been left licking their wounds after they were floored in the March 4 General Election.

The list of the defeated includes ambassadors, managing directors, permanent secretaries, a town clerk, and senior section managers of blue-chip companies.
Top among them is Prof James ole Kiyiapi who resigned as Education permanent secretary in April last year to run for president. But he came a distant seventh with just 40,998 of the 12,330,028 total votes cast.

Mr Mohamed wa Mwachai also quit as PS for Forestry and Wildlife last October to vie for the Kwale governorship but was defeated by Mr Salim Mvuria of ODM.

His counterpart at Immigration, Mr Emmanuel Kisombe, did not fare any better after an unsuccessful bid to be Taita Taveta governor,; Mr John Mrutu, previously head of Changamwe Oil Refinery in Mombasa, won.

Mr Ronnie Osumba also quit his position at the most profitable company in the region, Safaricom, where he worked as Head of Public Sector Sales.

He joined Mr Peter Kenneth as a running mate in an ill-fated presidential campaign under the Eagle Alliance. They emerged third, managing just 72,786 votes.

Kiambu’s Mr James Nyoro also quit his plum job as managing director of the Rockefeller Foundation-Africa where he controlled a huge budget, to vie for the governorship on a Narc ticket. But he was floored by former Juja MP William Kabogo who managed 400,282 votes against Mr Nyoro’s 198,890 votes.

Like Mr Osumba, Mr Geoffrey Kobia left a high-flying career at the multinational company, General Electric, in February where he worked as the commercial development manager in charge of healthcare for the East African region.

Mr Kobia, 26, who was employed while still a Strathmore University student, had risen through the ranks from a commercial analyst. He was defeated Mr Evans Kidero who has been sworn in as Nairobi governor.

Try his luck

Mr Kazungu Katana left a longtime job in the public affairs office of the US Embassy in Nairobi to try his luck in the race for the Kilifi Senate seat on a UDF ticket. He was floored by former Industrial Court judge Steward Madzayo.

Mr Paul Olando quit as the administrative secretary at the Ministry of the Environment to run for the Kakamega governorship. He came a distant third with 41,763 votes in a race won by Mr Wycliffe Oparanya with 259,071.

Former minister Julius Sunkuli cut short his career as Kenya’s ambassador to China to run for the Narok Senate seat that ended up in the hands of URP’s Stephen ole Ntutu.

Also in Narok, Mr Johnson ole Nchoe, who quit his position as the ICT chief manager at Kenya Power, failed to win the governor’s seat.

Like Mr Sunkuli, Mr Francis Sigei, a one-time provincial commissioner, quit his ambassadorial post in Nigeria to be Sotik MP but was felled by Ms Joyce Laboso.
His colleague in Australia, Mr Stephen Tarus, also left office to try his luck in the Nandi governor’s race but was beaten by Dr Cleophas Lagat.

Senior deputy clerk of the National Assembly Peter Omolo took early retirement to vie for the Kisumu County governorship. But his was also an ill-fated campaign as he was beaten by Mr Jack Ranguma who has since been sworn in.

Few Kenyans will forget President Kibaki’s former aide-de-Camp Geoffrey King’ang’i who left office in September to seek the nomination for the Mbeere South constituency seat against Reverend Mutava Musyimi. But he hit a wall at The National Alliance nominations in January; Mr Musyimi was nominated.

Mr Alex Musau, the human capital advisory services manager at Kenya Institute of Management, argues that pressure to perform in the corporate sector could be one of the factors encouraging people to run for political office where there is little demand for results.

“In the political world, your salary will always be there whether you perform or not,” he said. 
Others are driven by their egos.

“Somebody thinks ‘if I have succeeded here, why can’t I make it there?’” Mr Masau said. 
“There is also the quest for self-actualisation as well as an opportunity to influence public policy.”

To Mr Musau, the dream of managing billions of shillings, especially for those eyeing governorships, could also have fueled much political ambition.