Two Uhuru friends and their different contributions
What you need to know:
- Warning: The biggest mistake an appointee from this group can ever make is to think that his friendship with the President counts for much.
- The Speaker of the National Assembly has been jumping from one disaster to another.
When a new administration comes to power as President Uhuru Kenyatta and William Ruto did last year, the President gets a blank cheque to appoint individuals to a number of important offices of government.
He appoints principally from two groups. One, a President rarely forgets his friends and close associates who tirelessly worked for him in the past.
The appointment of this group is principally out of loyalty and to provide continuity of certain style and agenda.
In politics it is always important to have close trusted friends in government.
The second group of appointments is a mixture of individuals from varied backgrounds including the private, public sectors, academia and even from the civil service.
The guiding factor in their appointment is competence and a mild political subscription to the political agenda of the President.
All those appointed hold their offices at the pleasure of the President.
But it is the former group, those appointed because of their friendship or past loyalty to the President that walks a tightrope.
Unlike those appointed from the second group, this group do a delicate balancing act.
First, they constantly have to look over their shoulders to see whether they are delivering for the President. Second, they also have to check whether they are delivering to the public.
This balancing act, unless handled with humility, knowledge and tact, will led to a disaster for the appointees and even the Head of State.
The biggest mistake an appointee from this group can ever make is to think that his friendship with the President counts for much.
The converse is true. Presidents usually show their friends the exit door once it becomes clear that they are out of their depth.
The President usually tells them that he had given them a chance, has repaid his debt, but the public and his legacy come first.
FACED HOSTILITY
Two appointees of Mr Kenyatta who were very close to him but have travelled in opposite directions once appointed two very powerful offices are worth a mention.
These are the Speaker of the National Assembly Justin Muturi and the Solicitor General Njee Muturi.
Both were close confidantes of the President. Njee was much closer to the President and faced open political hostility during his vetting by Parliament. His performance in office has, however, been good.
Despite the murmur that greeted his initial appointment, it is no exaggeration that Njee, in his short tenure, has transformed the state law office.
The state law office has now become the fulcrum of both the government and its organs. It is thus delivering for both ordinary Kenyans and the political establishment.
More importantly, Njee knows that his job entails much more than just been a good lawyer.
His past background and his good political nose have given the state law office a new and much needed dimension.
SERIES OF DISASTERS
The Speaker of the National Assembly, on the other hand, has been jumping from one disaster to another.
Apart from destroying completely the institution he heads, he has created many enemies for the President and his deputy.
So, whereas Uhuru thought that Muturi would be an asset, he has turned into a net liability.
It is the baggage he needlessly accumulates with alarming frequency that seem to confound both friend and foe.
The bad blood between the Judiciary and the Presidency is Muturi’s sole creation.
He masterminded the process that led to the ill-fated attempt to muzzle the Judiciary and disband the Judicial Service Commission.
Even though he was the lead actor, the justice sector puts blame on the President.
The bad blood between the governors and the President is again the sole creation of Muturi’s incompetence.
He has allowed unconstitutional amendments with the sole purpose of destroying devolution.
The governors rightly blame the President because they think Muturi is advancing the President’s agenda.
The bad blood between Cabinet Secretaries and National Assembly is again the creation of Muturi’s incompetence.
He seems unaware of the Constitution when he tried to make cabinet secretaries become members of Parliament and answer questions.
In a short 18 months, Muturi has brought the three arms of government to total war and the government in a paralysis.
Senior Counsel Ahmednasir is the publisher, Nairobi Law Monthly: [email protected]
