GOOD CHOICES: DP William Ruto with Maasai dancers during the homecoming party of Kilifi South MP Mstafa Iddi (extreme left) in Kilifi yesterday. Photo/Elkana Jacob
The appointment of new parastatal chiefs has caused a new crisis within the Jubilee government with many party insiders expressing discontent over the choices made by President Uhuru Kenyatta.
The appointments were made in contradiction of the recommendations made by the recent report of the task force onparastatal reforms which Uhuru appointed.
Jubilee leaders and supporters criticized the appointments which one of the party's longtime party strategist described as "comical' and wondered whether they should cry or to laugh at the appointments.
“They are as tragic as they are comical. The Jubilee government was created out of the millions of young men and women who subscribed to the clarion calls of I BELIEVE and KUSEMA na KUTENDA. I believe tonight it will take a miracle to convince them the dream is still alive,” he wrote on his Facebook page.
MP Mohamed Shidiye (Ladgera, TNA) slammed the appointments for failing to reflect the national face as well for failing to live up to the youth agenda that the Jubilee government pledged to steer.
He said despite being the only TNA MP from the Northern Kenya, he had nothing to show for his support for the government: “We cannot hold the Jubilee cow for others to milk and leave us high and dry.”
The appointments were however defended by Deputy President William Ruto who criticized those complaining about former Cabinet Secretary Francis Muthaura's appointment as chairman of the LAPSSET Corridor Development Authority.
Ruto said old people who have served the country well needed to be taken care of. “Why do you have a problem with Muthaura? Has he wronged you? We do not discriminate against anybody. We appoint people from all walks of life,” said Ruto at the Vipongo Sports Ground in Kilifi during the homecoming ceremony for Kilif South MP Mustafa Idd where the leaders present criticized Muthaura's appointment saying it was an 'unnecessary political reward."
They said his appointment also discriminated against the people in the region and showed the government was not committed to devolving power to the county governments since someone from the region should have been appointed to head the authority. Kiliifi and Mombasa governors Amason Kingi and Hassan Joho asked Ruto to sit with President Uhuru and review the appointments.
In Western, Amani Coalition leader Musalia Mudavadi was advised by Lugari MP Ayub Savula to review his post-election agreement with Jubilee in view of the appointments.
“We as Luhya MPs feel that we were duped. It is surprising that none of the 22 names of professionals from Western region we presented to the President is on the list. We have been waiting but have now learnt that while the forest has changed the monkeys in there are still the same,” Savula said.
Over the weekend, Deputy President William Ruto told the Western region leaders that not all government positions had not been filled. He said another list will be released in mid January.
Outgoing Judicial Service Commission member Ahmedasir Abdullahi said calling some of the appointees deadwood would be more than a compliment. They could even throw a party, he wrote on twitter.
Munyori Buku, the director of public communication in the Presidency accused politicians were misleading the nation by focusing on their tribes yet the appointments were the firstof many to come.
"The 26 jobs of chairmen in parastatals is a very small number. There are hundreds of jobs on the way. The government is yet to appoint managing directors, board members and even deputy managing directors for the parastatals that have that position," he said in a telephone interview.
Those appointed were Francis Muthaura (LAPSSET), Lina Jebii (Anti Female Genital Mutilation Board), Agnes Ndetei (National Drought Management Authority), Philip Kaloki (Kenya Medical Training College), Matu Wamae (New KCC), Geoffrey Kang'ang'i (NCPB), Taraiya ole Kores (KMC), Benson Ateng (Consolidated Bank) and Mohamud Mohamed Ali (NHIF).
Others are Terry Ryan (bureau of statistics), Sam Kona (Kerio Valley Development Authority), Peter Kiilu (Water Resources Management Authority), Onyango Oloo (Lake Basin Development Authority), Julius Kones (National Water Conservation and Pipeline Corporation), Abdul Bahari (Tarda), Joseph Musebe (KBC), Kitambi Digore (Kenya Maritime) and Edwin Yinda (Kenya Information & Communication).
Oloo retains the post of TNA Secretary General because only state officers are barred, in Chapter Six, section 77 of the constitution, from holding a position in a political party. But as the chairman of the Lake Basin Development Authority, Oloo is a public officer.
The constitution spells out 16 jobs described as state officers starting with the President, his deputy, judges magistrates, MPs and a host of senior civil servants.
Also appointed was Sammy Tangus (Postal Corporation), Sam Nyageso (Kenya National Library Services), Sam Njonde (National Sports Fund), Peter Kinya (Kenya National Trading Corporation), Kenneth Sigilai (Kenya Electricity Transmission Company), Titus Ibui (Kenya Leather Development Council), Simon Gicharu (Geothermal development Company and Daniel Kiongo (Kenya Pipeline).
The task force on parastatal reforms had recommended that the government establish a Government Investment Corporation which would be responsible for appointing state corporation board chairs and members from a database of qualified and eligible persons.The president would only appoint the chair and board of GIC.
This was meant to depoliticize appointments to strategic parastatal jobs which has in the past resulted in ineptitude, inefficiency, corruption and loss of focus.
To ensure that board appointments were not political and comprised of people skilled in the proper stewardship of the parastatals, the task force also recommended that a criteria of appointment be established and only people eligible be considered.
The task force which sampled 98 parastatals found the appointments discriminated against women and the youth in the board leadership and membership.
“It is recommended that in future appointments to Boards, priority be given to women and youth, without compromising the need for skills to bring these in compliance with the constitutional requirements,” the taskforce said.
Of the 26 appointed, only two of them are women- Ndetei and Jebii. The others cannot be considered to be representing the youth either as they are older than 35 years.
Majority of the appointees are veteran public sub servants who are nudging their late sixties or early 70s. Others are politicians who have been unsuccessful in the past elections and were rejected yet again during the March 4 elections.
“All those who have been appointed are linked to Kanu in one way or the another. They are all TNA supporters. These are the same old style Kanu tactics where elections losers were recycled to mismanage parastatals,” Suna East MP Junet Mohamed said.
A tweet which went viral on social media and which took a jab at Muthaura's appointment said Muthaura had outlived ten US administrations since JF Kennedy while Wamae served as the CEO of ICDC in 1969.
Yesterday, Commission on Implementation of the Constitution (CIC) chair Charles Nyachae said it was not easy to criticize the President for flouting the gender and youth rule or rewarding political losers this was not in contravention of any law.
Nyachae however said the appointments were however not transparent and said those appointed should relinquish any political party positions they hold. Onyango Oloo is the secretary general of TNA.
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