Evans Kidero pleads case for top officials

Updated Monday, July 29th 2013 at 11:47 GMT +3

By Geoffrey Mosoku

As the nascent Jubilee government takes shape, political horse-trading and regional considerations are emerging critical factors in appointments.

Nairobi Governor Evans Kidero of CORD has reportedly pleaded the case for two top appointments and advised against perceived hounding of professionals from Luo Nyanza.

Only last week, Kidero had to make frantic efforts to reach President Uhuru Kenyatta on short notice after reports that embattled National Social Security Fund (NSSF) Managing Trustee Tom Odongo had been sacked.

Also degazetted was flamboyant NSSF board member Fred Rabong’o who hails from South Nyanza.

Soon after, the city boss was also pulling strings to preserve the tenure of National Water Conservation and Pipeline Corporation managing director Petronilla Ogut, whom the board of directors wanted shown the door. With regard to Ms Ogut, highly-placed sources indicate that through Kidero’s intervention, she got a six-month reprieve.

Kidero is said to have pleaded with the President that sending away Luo professionals in quick succession, for whatever reason, would create the impression of a witchhunt against a region that overwhelmingly voted for opposition, CORD.

Reaching out

Contacted, the capital’s governor said he would try as much as possible to reach out to the President.

“Each of us hails from a specific region and it would be wrong for me to sit back and watch while professionals from my region are mistreated,” Kidero said. It would also have put the President’s oft-quoted desire to unite the country and to serve all Kenyans equally regardless of their political affiliation, in doubt.

What would have complicated matters further is the fact that CORD leader Raila Odinga has lately been on the warpath with Jubilee and an incident in Kisii County where the President’s representative at a requiem service, Cabinet Secretary Fred Matiang’i, was heckled and forced to abandon attempts to deliver Uhuru’s condolence message.

The incident also ruffled Jubilee operatives, with the first salvo coming from Government Spokesman Muthui Kariuki calling for the recall of government vehicles allegedly in Raila’s possession.