Will Amina thrive or throw in towel?

Going by Kenya’s political climate, the recent cabinet reshuffle had been anticipated by many government insiders and political analysts. What surprised most of us was how minor the reshuffle turned out to be.

Save for the appointment of Prof George Magoha as Education Cabinet Secretary and that of Amina Mohammed to replace the sacked Rashid Echesa at the Sports Ministry, there was no other major change in the reshuffle. But the musical chairs at the Sports ministry is likely to raise eyebrows.

Echesa’s stint as Sports CS was only but a cameo, lasting a mere 13 months. His predecessor Hassan Wario was in charge for a little under five years but has since been charged in court (no pun intended) with abuse of office in relation to improper facilitation of six individuals’ travel expenses to the 2016 Rio Olympic Games, causing loss of public funds worth Sh5,846,346.

Enter Amina Mohammed; but the question remains, will she thrive and turn around the Ministry or will she succumb to the ‘dragon’ that has vanquished many before her?

Curiously, two weeks into her appointment, the Ministry’s official website is yet to be updated with this most important development. According to the website, Rashid Echesa is still the Cabinet Secretary and its latest news update is of Echesa presenting a bus to the Kenya Film School at Kasarani Stadium on March 1. Perhaps, the lethargy evident in the lack of updates on the Ministry’s website is a pointer to the unprofessionalism, incompetence and malpractices within the Ministry’s rank which Amina will be facing.

As the custodian of an institution repeatedly dogged with claims of financial impropriety and blatant corruption, Amina’s task is an uphill one.

The Ministry of Sports and Heritage comprises various departments, chief of which are Sports, Culture, National Archives, National Museum and Film Services, but it’s the Sports department that commands the largest budgetary allocation.

This is where Amina’s focus should be. She must interrogate the departmental heads to establish the reliable and honest lieutenants who she can trust to execute her agenda.

These, she must quickly share her vision with and motivate to diligently execute her mission.

Secondly, she must look for the low hanging fruits which she can quickly pluck. These quick gains will go a long way in boosting confidence in her by her team and the general public.

Thirdly, she should earmark a ‘big project’ like the 2020 IAAF World Under 20 Championships that Kenya will host, and work tirelessly to ensure a successful event.

Finally, Amina should ride on the current anti-corruption campaign to root out corrupt elements in sports administration.

The author is an IT Consultant and sports enthusiast. [email protected]