Reality check for big names who missed out on top jobs

Many senior politicians who lost in last year’s elections, but promised a lifeline in plum state jobs, are in the cold a month after President Uhuru Kenyatta more or less completed forming his government.

With barely five Principal Secretary and Chief Administrative Secretary (CAS) positions remaining to be filled, these politicians, who were used to the trappings of power as governors, senators and MPs, are staring at four years of unfamiliar territory.

Other vacant positions are heads of parastatals and memberships to constitutional commissions, some of which are considered too junior to some of the politicians angling for jobs.

Among the big names missing from President Kenyatta’s reward list include former Senate Speaker Ekwee Ethuro, former governors Isaac Ruto, David Nkedianye, Moses Akaranga and Benjamin Cheboi, as well as former senators David Musila and Hassan Omar.

Others are former MPs Martha Karua, Paul Otuoma, James Rege, Alfred Khangati, and Danson Mungatana, President Kenyatta’s chief agent in last year’s polls Davis Chirchir and Mombasa Jubilee operative and businessman Suleiman Shahbal, who ran unsuccessfully for the Mombasa governor’s seat in 2013 and 2017.

MINISTERS
In creating CAS positions – a matter which has been challenged in court – President Kenyatta was working to avert fallout over the growing legion of supporters who he promised to reward for standing by his side during last year’s tumultuous and protracted political campaigns.

But it is now apparent the positions were hardly enough.

The situation is compounded by the constitutional constraints, which cap the number of Cabinet Secretaries (CS) at 22, a far cry from the old system that at one time accommodated up to 44 ministers and an equal number of assistant ministers.

Mr Chirchir’s omission is the most conspicuous as he was the President’s chief agent at the National Tallying Centre in the two elections last year and was a key actor in the resultant presidential petitions.

DAVIS CHIRCHIR

In both cases, he filed affidavits in support of candidate Kenyatta’s win and sat throughout the court process.

Mr Chirchir’s deputy at the NTC, Ms Winnie Guchu was rewarded with a CAS job.

Even his former Cabinet colleague Felix Koskei, with whom he was dropped in 2015 over corruption allegations but later cleared, has been rewarded.

The former Agriculture CS, whose contribution was not considered as central as Mr Chirchir’s, was pulled from the political doldrums last week and dispatched to the Judicial Service Commission, where he will serve as a commissioner.

Mr Koskei contested the Nandi governor’s seat and lost in the primaries.

Mr Ethuro and Mr Mungatana, together with former Budalang'i MP Ababu Namwamba, were vocal in Mr Kenyatta’s presidential campaigns in the aftermath of the annulment of the August elections results.

MUNGATANA
Through a lobby called the Council of Kenya Professionals (CKP), the three were a constant thorn in the opposition’s flesh and never missed an opportunity to throw jibes at Nasa leader Raila Odinga, frequently blaming him for all the ills afflicting the country.

While Mr Namwamba has been appointed the Foreign Ministry CAS, both Mr Ethuro and Mr Mungatana were not as lucky.

Mr Mungatana’s case has particularly been intriguing as he paints the picture of a man desperate to get a job – any job.

In September last year, he unsuccessfully vied for the Speaker of Tana River County Assembly.

Thereafter, an advert emerged in the local dailies in which the former Garsen MP had been shortlisted for interview for the position of Clerk of the County Assembly of Tana River.

The other interesting case is that of Mr Ruto, the former Bomet governor and the founding chair of the Council of Governors who was a thorn in the side of the President Kenyatta and his deputy William Ruto before switching sides after his defeat by Dr Joyce Laboso.

CRITICS
Those who justify his sidelining say he had been defeated anyway and had only supported the President after the annulment of his win on September 1, his supporters say a precedent of appointing a former critic had been set by the case of former Meru Governor Peter Munya who landed a job as the East African Community CS.

Curiously, while Mr Ruto was bypassed, his deputy in Chama Cha Mashinani, Patrick Ntutu, was rewarded with the position of CAS in the Ministry of Interior.

Those in the know however say President Kenyatta was keen not to be seen to be aiding his deputy’s nemesis and a challenger for the leadership of the Rift Valley with awesome mobilisation skills.

Those advancing this school of thought say the same reasoning saw Kanu politicians, who had been touted to join the Cabinet, dropped in the last minute.

Kanu Chairman and Baringo Senator Gideon Moi has never hidden his intentions to run for the top job in 2022, the time Jubilee wants to see Mr Ruto succeed President Kenyatta.

HASSAN OMAR
For Mr Cheboi, his loss is all the more significant because he had led a high profile campaign for President Kenyatta’s re-election in the Rift Valley, only for him to be bypassed and Mr Simon Chelugui, who had run for the senate seat against Mr Moi, was appointed Water CS.   

Mr Omar, the former Mombasa senator and Wiper party secretary-general, was also left out despite the role he played as the loudest critic of Nasa leaders Mr Odinga and Kalonzo Musyoka after he was defeated in his bid to be Mombasa governor.

While campaigning in Kirinyaga, President Kenyatta had also indicated he would appoint whoever lost the Kirinyaga governor’s seat to a State job.

Ms Karua was competing against Anne Waiguru - who was successful.

Ms Karua – once a formidable force in Central Kenya politics – is still in the cold.

RAILA ENEMY
Mr Otuoma’s fate is compounded by the appointment of Mr Namwamba since both come from neighbouring constituencies in Busia County.

It is also instructive that Western region – a key opposition stronghold – has been well represented in the Jubilee administration by Senate speaker Ken Lusaka, Devolution CS Eugene Wamalwa and National Assembly Majority Whip Ben Washiali, dimming any hopes for Mr Otuoma.

Mr Khangati, who lost in his bid for the Bungoma governorship to Ford Kenya’s Wycliffe Wangamati, said he had decamped to Jubilee Party to only to spite Mr Odinga.

“My defection was to make a point that there are political alternatives out there beyond Mr Odinga and Nasa after they mishandled my candidature. I didn’t go to Jubilee looking for favours,” he said.

He added: “Some of us have been in Jubilee for a very short time. There are those who have suffered for standing up for the president and his deputy and it will be unfair if we were rewarded ahead of them.”

WIPER
But former Mwingi Central MP Joe Mutambu is a disgruntled man:

“It is clear for every Kenyan to see that the Kamba community had been shortchanged in the cabinet lineup.”

Mr Mutambo, who was among the president’s steadfast campaigners in the region, said there was a mood across the community of having been cheated, especially those who put their necks on political chopping board to rally Kambas behind Mr Kenyatta.

“Let no one cheat us that by appointing Dr Juma to the cabinet, the Kamba community is represented because she is no longer one of us,” the former MP said.

DEFECTORS

Makueni Governor Kivutha Kibwana on Saturday said that he had been tasked by Wiper party to reach out to Jubilee losers including MPs who missed out in the recent State jobs.

“We have started talks with those Kamba leaders disgruntled with Jubilee. We want them to return to where they belong,” Prof Kibwana said.

The leaders targeted include Mr David Musila, who was the national chairman; former MPs Kisoi Munyao, Mr Mutambu among others.

Defending the President, Senate Deputy Majority Whip Irungu Kang’ata says it is not possible for the Head of State to reward all of his supporters owing to the limited slots in government.