Criticism greets executive reshuffle

Garissa Governor Nathif Jama Adam. FILE PHOTO |

By  NATION CORRESPONDENT

What you need to know:

  • The Directorate of Urban Planning, previously under the Deputy Governor’s office, will now be independently headed by Mr Hajir Mohamed Dahiye, who used to be in charge of Trade, Commerce and Cooperative Development.
  • Mr Hussein Hajir will now head the Public Service, Education, Information Management and Inter-governmental docket, with Mr Abdille Isaak Hassan remaining as the chief officer.

Garissa Governor Nathif Jama Adam has reshuffled his executive in a move that has been met with criticism.

He moved Mr Idriss Mukhtar from the Finance and Economic Planning docket to that of Trade, Tourism, Investment, Enterprise Development and Special Programmes.

Mr Abdihakim Sheikh Dayib will now be in charge of Finance. He was moved from Roads, which has been merged with Public Works, Lands and Housing under Mr Ahmed Aden.

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The changes were contained in a circular issued on Monday.

INDEPENDENTLY HEADED

The Directorate of Urban Planning, previously under the Deputy Governor’s office, will now be independently headed by Mr Hajir Mohamed Dahiye, who used to be in charge of Trade, Commerce and Cooperative Development.

Mr Hussein Hajir will now head the Public Service, Education, Information Management and Inter-governmental docket, with Mr Abdille Isaak Hassan remaining as the chief officer.

Chief Officer Jawahir Keinan Hassan — who headed the now defunct Information, Research and Statistic Directorate — moves to Youth, Sports, Culture, Gender and Social Services in the same capacity.

Mr Rahma Dekow Omar, the outgoing Chief Officer of Special Programmes and Inter-Governmental Affairs, is now head of Agriculture, Livestock and Fisheries.

The circular further says Deputy Governor Abdullahi Hussein will take overall responsibility of all county departments, monitoring their performance. Ms Fatuma Omar Sheikh becomes the new chief officer of Urban Services while Mr Abdi Dagane Ismail takes over at her previous posting — Environment, Energy and Natural Resources.

UNFAIR DISTRIBUTION

However, Northern Forum for Democracy Coordinator Khalif Abdithe criticised the changes, saying they were a recipe for disharmony and discontent among residents who coexisted peacefully for many years.

“We have seen violence in Wajir, Mandera and Moyale counties over unfair distribution of positions. County leaders must act responsibly to ensure no community feels sidelined,” he said.

Mr Abdithe said it was wrong for the governor to claim to be serving all communities fairly when most strategic departments were being headed by members of one clan.

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