Waita’s job at State House signals power shift in civil service

President Uhuru Kenyatta has pinned his re-election hopes on the performance of a delivery unit he established recently in his office to ensure that the flagship projects in the Jubilee manifesto are implemented.

To show the importance he attaches to the unit, President Kenyatta made glowing remarks of the newly appointed secretary to head the unit, Mr Nzioka Waita, when he introduced him to the Cabinet at State House, Nairobi, a fortnight ago.

Poached from leading mobile phone services provider Safaricom Ltd, Mr Waita is expected to play a high profile role in the President’s administration and implementation of projects.

Insiders have recounted how the President emphasised that any assignment undertaken by  the new appointee  should be seen as having his full confidence and backing.

Mr Waita’s appointment appears to signal a quiet shift in the balance of power at the top of the civil service bureaucracy.
With powers to monitor and evaluate performance on high-impact projects across ministries and government departments, his advent is likely to disrupt the pecking order at the top of the bureaucracy.

“His (Waita’s) job is to monitor the progress of flagship projects across all ministries and departments implemented in line with the promises in the Jubilee manifesto,” said a source close to the Presidency.

It is understood that with their tenure entering the third year, President Kenyatta and his deputy, Mr William Ruto, are determined to ensure that the lofty pledges they made to Kenyans in their campaigns are delivered before the next elections.

KEY PROJECTS

Among the key projects are the Standard Gauge Railway (SGR), whose construction has started; the free laptop project to all primary school children, which has been stalled by court cases and the Sh14.2 billion Galana Irrigation Scheme to ensure food security.

Others are the tarmacking of 10,000 kilometres of roads across the country and ensuring all public schools are connected to power.

“Waita has the task to unlock any of the Jubilee flagship projects which have been stalled by court cases. He will work across ministries and departments, overcome the challenges and ensure the promises are really happening,” said the source.

Mr Waita, who has been appointed by the President and will not be subject to vetting by the National Assembly, will serve at the grade of a Secretary, a rank between a permanent secretary and a director in public service.

He will work closely with former British Prime Minister Tony Blair, who was appointed by President Kenyatta as his adviser.
Whether he will make an impact remains to be seen, especially considering the fact that there are too many other delivery units, all of them monitoring performance and delivery of flagship projects.

For instance, operating  under the Office of the President is the National Economic and Social Council (Nesc), which was established in 2005 by President Mwai Kibaki’s government through a gazette notice.

Popularly known as the Nesc, it is credited with having  crafted Vision 2030.

Others are the Vision 2030 Delivery Secretariat, which monitors performance and delivery of flagship projects under Vision 2030; Delivery Secretariat under a full director, Mr Stephen Ndele, located at the Kenya International Convention Centre; the Efficiency Monitoring Unit and the Inspectorate of State Corporation and the Implementation Committee of the Presidential Task Force on Parastatal Reform.

With so many departments engaged in monitoring project performance and delivery, there is a high risk of turf wars and jurisdictional disputes within the government.