Uhuru shuffles top officials in public finance office

President Uhuru Kenyatta has shuffled top finance officers in the civil service in a move aimed at improving efficiency.

In transferring the 30 senior officials, some of who have stayed in their positions for more than five years, Mr Kenyatta said he was keen to break cartel-like networks that were firmly getting entrenched in certain dockets. Some of the officials are responsible for processing payments for contractors in huge projects that the government is undertaking.

BUDGET PORTFOLIO

Mr Amos Gatheca was moved from the Interior ministry to the Treasury, replacing Francis Musyimi as Principal Administrative Secretary.

Mr Nyangara Mwayi is now the Senior Chief Finance Officer at the State Department for Youth.

He previously worked at the Devolution ministry, handling a bigger budget portfolio. Ms Sarah Kerandi becomes the Chief Finance Officer at the Devolution ministry.
She was previously at the Regional and Northern Corridor Development Department.

Mr Julius Gichana moves from the Industrialisation ministry to Mining as Senior Chief Finance Officer.

“The following postings have been agreed upon and should be effected immediately. The concerned ministries/departments are required to confirm to this office on release and reporting to the new work stations by the affected officers,” Head of Public Service Joseph Kinyua said in an internal memo.

Mr Peter Chemwile will now be the Chief Finance Officer at the Tourism ministry. He has been transferred from the Department of Irrigation.

FINANCE OFFICER

Mr Dismas Ogot was moved to the State Law Office, while Martin Wamwea was moved to the Fisheries Department.

Mr Paul Masinde, previously the State Law Office Chief Finance Officer, will now be stationed at the Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions in the same capacity.

Mr Tobias Osano moves from Agricultural research to the Department of Cooperatives as Chief Finance Officer, as Mr Jim Chira takes up a similar post at the Cabinet Affairs office.

He was previously at the Department of Broadcasting and Telecommunications. “Mr Gathecha was also the Head of Secretariat, National Identity Information Management Systems, popularly known as Huduma Namba, where he coordinated the registration of 37.7 million Kenyans in 45 days in 2019,” the Treasury says on its website.

Senior officials managing the exchequer were not hired competitively through the Public Service Commission (PSC).

They were instead sneaked in as officers seconded by the Kenya Revenue Authority.

Despite the Kenya National Audit Office raising the matter of not advertising top posts since 2013, management has not changed the trend.

The situation has led to some of the officials owing allegiance to individuals who put them in the positions, a weak point that has in a number of cases led to malpractices.

PARASTATALS

The only position filled by the PSC was that of Director-General Public Debt Management Office where Haron Sirma, a former deputy CBK governor, served as Deputy Director of Debt Management.

President Uhuru Kenyatta’s decision to confirm Ukur Yatani as Treasury CS and Dr Julius Muia as his PS is said to have destabilised established networks. With Mr Albert Mwenda as the Director-General, Budget, Fiscal and Economic Affairs; and Stanley Kamau as Director- General, Public Investments and Portfolio Management (on acting capacity) the changes at the principal administrative level are seen as a move towards ensuring efficiency at the top.

Ms Sara Mwenda has been moved from the Lands ministry to the State Law Office.

Another notable movement is that of Mr Samson Ongalo, from Broadcasting to the Ministry of Health, as Deputy Accountant General.

It is the second memo in a row after Mr Kinyua issued one last week outlining new austerity measures for parastatals.

In the confidential memo to the Attorney General, Cabinet secretaries, PSs and State corporations, Mr Kinyua laid out strict measures that could see the Treasury save billions of shillings.