Career civil servants quit for politics

• Among them are City Council of Nairobi Town Clerk Roba Duba, a general manager at NSSF Joseph Tiampati, Kenya Wines Agencies board chairman Moitaleel ole Kenta, Communications Commission of Kenya chairman Philip Okundi, Kenya Airports Authority board chairman Martin Nyaga Wambora, and Higher Education Loans Board chief executive Benjamin Cheboi.
• Also exiting are a number of permanent secretaries including John Lonyangapuo (Public Works), James Nyikal (Gender) and Emmanuel Kisombe (Immigration) and Mohammed Wamwachai (Forestry). PSs are the effective chief executives of their ministries.
• Some civil servants resigned earlier to start their campaigns. They are Prof James ole Kiyiapi who resigned from his education docket in April to vie for presidency, Evans Kidero who resigned as CEO of Mumias Sugar to vie for Nairobi County governorship. Garissa district commissioner Elijah Taragon also quit.
• The Constitution requires some of the seats to be filled through competitive process which may require public vetting, further delaying the replacement.
• Other top officials who left office on Monday for politics include Presidential adviser on Coalition Affairs Prof Kivutha Kibwana and Administration Police Commandant Kinuthia Mbugua.
• Livestock PS Ken Lusaka and government spokesman Alfred Mutua have also quit. Mr Lusaka is leaving to vie for Bungoma County governorship while Dr Mutua is heading to Machakos for similar position.
• The new offices have created a wave of interest that has swept through the government offices.

A huge vacuum has emerged after key officers managing the economy quit public service for politics. The more than 100 senior government officers quit to beat the official deadline ahead of the General Election set for March 4, 2013.

Among them are City Council of Nairobi Town Clerk Roba Duba, a general manager at NSSF Joseph Tiampati, Kenya Wines Agencies board chairman Moitaleel ole Kenta, Communications Commission of Kenya chairman Philip Okundi, Kenya Airports Authority board chairman Martin Nyaga Wambora, and Higher Education Loans Board chief executive Benjamin Cheboi.

Also exiting are a number of permanent secretaries including John Lonyangapuo (Public Works), James Nyikal (Gender) and Emmanuel Kisombe (Immigration) and Mohammed Wamwachai (Forestry). PSs are the effective chief executives of their ministries.

Mr Duba, who has led a high-profile campaign to have owners of city plots and buildings pay land rates, is leaving City Hall less than a year after he took over from Philip Kisia who left the same office for politics.

Mr Duba is expected to vie for Moyale constituency seat. The campaign has netted over Sh1 billion in arrears from land rates.

Mr Duba has also attempted to seal other loopholes being used by wayward workers in collusion with outsiders to defraud the council of billions of shillings collected from users of its services.

Some civil servants resigned earlier to start their campaigns. They are Prof James ole Kiyiapi who resigned from his education docket in April to vie for presidency, Evans Kidero who resigned as CEO of Mumias Sugar to vie for Nairobi County governorship. Garissa district commissioner Elijah Taragon also quit.

The Constitution requires some of the seats to be filled through competitive process which may require public vetting, further delaying the replacement.

Other top officials who left office on Monday for politics include Presidential adviser on Coalition Affairs Prof Kivutha Kibwana and Administration Police Commandant Kinuthia Mbugua.

It was a busy day on Monday as the public officers, who included several PSs, parastatal heads and  high-ranking security officials, rushed to beat the September 3 deadline in line with the law that requires aspirants to vie for elective posts to leave office at least six months before election.

The service delivery may be interrupted as the senior government officials, some heading key ministries, quit on Tuesday.

“Most of the positions vacated can be held by acting capacity by the deputies and directors in those departments but depending on the sensitivity of the office, it may delay decision making,” said John Mutua, programme officer at Institute of Economic Affairs (IEA).

Acting Secretary to the Cabinet and Head of Public Service Francis Kimemia had earlier issued circular directing all the Public Officers intending to vie for elective posts to resign by September 2, 2012.

Apart from the positions of President, MP and local representative (previously councillor and now County representative), Kenya’s new Constitution created three new elective posts of governor, women representative and senator in addition to a parliament with more members.

The new offices have created a wave of interest that has swept through the government offices.