Uhuru appointments are proof that political dynasties alive and well

What you need to know:

  • The elder son of former Central Bank of Kenya (CBK) Governor Philip Ndegwa, James, was appointed chairperson of the Board of Capital Markets Authority, a move that has generated reactions from players in the financial sector, with some citing conflict of interest in the appointment.
  • Ms Susan Wakhungu, who was appointed as non-executive chairperson of the Kenya Yearbook, is a sister of Judy Wakhungu, the Cabinet Secretary of Environment. The two are nieces of former Vice-President Moody Awori.
  • Dr Adams Oloo, a political science lecturer at the University of Nairobi, said the better way to examine the phenomenon, which he would rather refer to as “political families” rather than dynasties, would be to find out the expertise of the appointees.

The recent appointment of at least 15 board members of state corporations who are relatives of influential families shows that politics of dynasties is alive and kicking in Kenya.

The appointments, which have elicited mixed reactions from a cross-section of Kenyans, have also demonstrated that political differences and affiliations are secondary to family and historical ties when it matters most.

Perhaps the best illustration of this is the naming of Cord and opposition leader Raila Odinga’s sister, Dr Wenwa Odinga, to the board of the Kenya Medical Research Institute (Kemri).
The relationship between the Kenyattas and the Odingas goes back to the pre-independence days when Jomo Kenyatta and Jaramogi Oginga Odinga joined forces to fight for Kenya’s independence.

According to historians, one of the highest points of their relationship was Jaramogi’s refusal to accept the British colonialists offer to become Kenya’s first prime minister while Jomo was in jail. The refusal forced the colonialists to accept Jomo as the undisputed leader of Kenya’s independence struggle culminating in his release and naming as the country’s first premier in 1963.

“The politics of dynasty has fast come into vogue, with its resurgence evident in recent years in Africa and the world over. The resurgence has been prompted by varying reasons, among other things, the quest to restore and retain family legacies and to transfer power to those most trusted,” says a report in the The Sunday Independent, a South African newspaper.

“The return of dynastic politics does not occur in a political and socio-economic void. It is not set in motion by chance and historical inevitability, but arises out of a battery of political considerations that have far-reaching economic and security considerations,” says the report.

Yesterday, President Uhuru Kenyatta’s spokesman Manoah Esipisu defended the appointments, arguing that the quest to serve the people of Kenya transcends from every single household in the Republic.

“The call to public service is for all, old and youth urban and rural. We aligned competency to the respective appointments, for example Dr Wenwa Odinga was the first female doctoral holder in Chemistry; her appointment to Kemri was befitting of a Kenyan with such rare accolades. On the other hand Captain Judy Nyachae was recruited competitively emerging the top candidate from a recruitment exercise conducted for placement to the Kenya Civil Aviation Board,” said Mr Esipisu.

Judy is the daughter-in-law of former Cabinet minister and Ford People leader Simeon Nyachae.
Another Nyachae family member, son Kenneth Bitange Nyachae, was appointed to the board of the Exports Processing Zones Authority.

Dr Adams Oloo, a political science lecturer at the University of Nairobi, said the better way to examine the phenomenon, which he would rather refer to as “political families” rather than dynasties, would be to find out the expertise of the appointees.

“If it is done on merit and even if we come from the same family, I would have no problem with that. But if there is no merit and the person does not have expertise in that field then I would have a problem with it,” he said.

Dr Oloo said that in the case of the appointment of Dr Richard Leakey back to the Kenya Wildlife Service, it was obvious he was selected on the basis of his past successes at the institution.
Other than the Odingas, other prominent families that were represented in last week’s board appointments are former President Mwai Kibaki one with the former president’s daughter Judy joining the board of Brand Kenya, an international market arm of Kenya. 

Judy’s father, Kibaki who is the 3rd President of Kenya, was President Uhuru Kenyatta’s godfather during his baptism and is said to have given him the name Uhuru when he was born. Mr Kibaki also served in Mzee Jomo Kenyatta’s Cabinet.

Apart from being close to the founding President of Kenya, Mr Kibaki is also a family friend of the Kenyattas and is particularly close to Mr George Muhoho, who is former First Lady Mama Ngina Kenyatta’s brother. When Mr Kibaki resigned from Kanu in 1990 to form the Democratic Party, an opposition party to the Independence party, the two backed him financially. In 2007, as a Kanu chairman, Uhuru backed Mwai Kibaki for the presidency.

Ms Susan Wakhungu, who was appointed as non-executive chairperson of the Kenya Yearbook, is a sister of Judy Wakhungu, the Cabinet Secretary of Environment. The two are nieces of former Vice-President Moody Awori.

Mr Awori was the Vice President under President Kibaki and the two served in government together for a long time in President Moi’s era.
Ms Gladys Mboya, who was named as a board member of the National Housing Corporation, is the widow of Peter Mboya, the first son of the late Tom Mboya, who served in Mzee Jomo Kenyatta’s government as minister for Economic Affairs and Kanu secretary general. He was shot dead in 1969 in Nairobi.

Mrs Mboya is a daughter of former Finance Permanent Secretary Charles Mbindyo who at one time served in the Treasury under Mr Kibaki as minister.
Mr Peter Mboya, who died in a motor cycle accident, was a close friend of President Uhuru Kenyatta. 

CONFLICT OF INTEREST

The elder son of former Central Bank of Kenya (CBK) Governor Philip Ndegwa, James, was appointed chairperson of the Board of Capital Markets Authority, a move that has generated reactions from players in the financial sector, with some citing conflict of interest in the appointment.
The elder Ndegwa worked both under the Jomo Kenyatta and Moi governments.

The Ndegwa family owns First Chartered Securities, the holding company of firms quoted in the Nairobi Securities Exchange and whose business is regulated by the CMA.
Major (Rtd) Marsden Madoka, a former aide-de-camp to Mzee Jomo Kenyatta and whose wife was the President’s secretary, was named chairperson of the Board of the Kenya Ports Authority.

Other prominent political families represented in the latest appointments are the Karume family, whose daughter Lucy was named to the board of the Kenya Civil Aviation Authority.
Veteran politician William ole Ntimama’s daughter Leah was appointed a member of the Water Services Regulatory Trust Fund.

Kibuga Kareithi, a son of Geoffrey Kareithi, head of the civil service during Jomo Kenyatta’s era and part of Daniel arap Moi’s reign, is a member of the National Oil Corporation of Kenya board.

Kavi Mwendwa, a daughter of Kitui Woman Representative and late Justice Kitili Mwendwa, was named to the board of the Kenyatta International Convention Centre. Julius Sunkuli, who served as a minister under President Moi and was an ambassador, comes from a prominent political family in Narok.

Margaret Saitoti, the widow of the late Prof George Saitoti, is a member of the National Oil Corporation board.
Richard Leakey, who makes a comeback to the Kenya Wildlife Service, had a brother, Philip, who was a minister.

Political dynasties are not unique to Kenya and a reality all over the world. In the US, for example, the Clinton and the Bush families have dominated American politics for a combined 38 years.

According to the Washington Post, so entrenched are these two families in presidential politics that Americans under the age of 38 have experienced only one national election — 2012 — in which there has been no Bush or Clinton running for president or vice president.

The Bushes and Clintons “are like enduring franchises in American politics,” David Axelrod, President Obama’s former chief strategist is quoted as saying. “There are also burdens that come from these franchises. You’re not a brand-new car. Even if someone else put the dings in it, you’re still driving it.”