Top jobs up for grabs as civil servants join politics

An estimated 200 lucrative public service jobs have been left vacant following mass resignations by ambitious technocrats to join politics ahead of Kenya’s biggest election in March next year.

President Kibaki and Prime Minister Raila Odinga are expected to reorganise the government to fill the vacant positions.

But even as Public Service minister Dalmas Otieno announced an audit of the resignations, which saw seven permanent secretaries and five ambassadors quit, some of the positions were too sensitive to be left vacant.

President Kibaki on Tuesday picked Col Peter Njiru to replace his former aide-de-camp, Lt-Col Geoffrey King’ang’i, who resigned to contest the Mbeere South parliamentary seat.

A quick fix was also sought at the helm of the Administration Police where Mr Kinuthia Mbugua left to run for the Nakuru governor’s position.

Mr Samuel Arachi was appointed the acting AP Commandant. Mr Otieno said the posts will be filled temporarily by the second ranking officers in the departments.

“We have asked our permanent secretaries to furnish us with a detailed report of the vacancies left by those resigning so that the government can act accordingly to ensure competent replacement,” Mr Otieno said.

Some of the top officials who left last week are presidential adviser on coalition affairs Prof Kivutha Kibwana and permanent secretaries Ken Lusaka (Livestock), Mohammed wa Mwachai (Forestry), John Lonyangapuo (Public Works), James Nyikal (Gender), Emmanuel Kisombe (Immigration) and Government Spokesman Alfred Mutua.

Prof James ole Kiyiapi had resigned earlier to contest the presidency. The resignations could have been fuelled by fear of redundancy, the lure of devolved executive power and trappings of political office. (READ: Top civil servants quit to join politics)

It is understood that the Kenya Revenue Authority is among state corporations heavily affected after more than 15 top managers left. Also affected are public universities which have lost senior lecturers.

Analysts say the increase in the number of political jobs in Parliament, the Senate and the counties, capped with their enhanced remuneration and power, have made politics more lucrative. (READ: Mutua leads exodus of state officers joining politics)

In the next government, permanent secretaries — to be known as principle secretaries — will be vetted by Parliament before assuming office.

This means the current 42 accounting officers in ministries will leave office some time next year (though they are eligible for reappointment).

The principle secretaries will report to Cabinet Secretaries, technocrats in charge of ministries instead of politicians.

Technocrats

Aside from the presidency, the governor’s position offers 47 new opportunities to exercise executive power and manage billions of shillings that will be allocated to the counties.

The civil servants and other professionals jostling for political office join a long list of MPs who have chosen to run for county positions — either as governors or senators — rather than defend their parliamentary positions.

There were multiple resignations across government last Monday as those affected rushed to beat the deadline set by the Elections Act.

Other top public servants who left include Higher Education Loans Board chief executive Benjamin Cheboi, the former Inspector-General of State Corporations, Mr Peter Bita Ondieki, former gender secretary Prof Colleta Suda, Communications Commission of Kenya chairman Philip Okundi and Kenya Airports Authority board chairman Martin Nyaga Wambora.

The Kenya Wines Agency board chairman Moitaleel ole Kenta, Garissa District Commissioner Elijah Taragon and Mr Joseph Tiampati, a general manager at the National Social Security Fund, also resigned.

Mombasa lawyer Issa Timamy quit as the chairman of the National Museums of Kenya last week to run for Lamu governor.

“We are a poor country but sitting on riches. Our people and our land are rich beyond measure. We only need to harness and direct this wealth so that it can nurture our people prosperously and free them from poverty,” Dr Mutua said.

Mr Lusaka said he would use the experience gained from the public service to turn around Bungoma County. “I bring a wealth of experience that I have gained since my days in the provincial administration to be able to bring change for the people of Bungoma.

"I’m looking for an all-inclusive governorship and one which enhances all the potential of the rich agricultural lands, livestock and other resources in the county,” Mr Lusaka told the Sunday Nation.

Mr James Ongwae quit as Mr Odinga’s campaign secretariat boss on Thursday to contest the Kisii governorship.

“I want to go home and work for my people. I am going to run for the Kisii governorship so I can spread projects I have been running in Kitutu Chache in the whole county,” Mr Ongwae said.

Former Rockefeller Foundation managing director for Africa James Nyoro, who wants to be Kiambu governor, said he was inspired by opportunities for change in the new office.

“You can trade off your comfort today for comfort tomorrow that will encompass more people. Shared comfort is more sustainable. You either dirty your hands or shut up,” Mr Nyoro said.

Masinde Muliro University lecturer Egara Kabaji claimed most of those leaving the civil service for politics are driven by a desire to grow rich.

Grow rich

“Politics pays more. You earn more in politics. There is more leeway when it comes to impunity. The search for political power is because it enables one to amass more wealth. Very few of them are going into this because of love for Kenyans,” Prof Kabaji said.

Political scientist Karuti Kanyinga said the resignations were a result of increased political vacancies. “Previously, we had only 210 seats to fight for. That was very crowded. That’s from where you would get ministers, assistant ministers and members of House committees.

"The number of the seats that need to be filled is now more than 500,” said Prof Kanyinga of the University of Nairobi.

He said some people could also have been motivated by the clout of the new offices. “The amount of money that the governor will run and the executive authority is an attraction.

Plunder of public resources has gone unpunished in the past. It’s actually prestigious to hold some of these positions and plunder because there are no consequences,” he said.

But Prof Kiyiapi disagrees. “The new Constitution had created sufficient room for professionals to manage public resources without interference from special interests.

"Why did I leave the comfort of the highest professional position in the public service? I got tired of coming up with policies which often times were not implemented with the public good in mind.

"If Kenyans honour me with leadership, I will design and implement policies informed by the interests and aspirations of the entire nation and will not allow special interests to hold Kenya hostage,” he said.