Minister leaves legacy of strength and action

Two years ago, a team charged with the seemingly impossible task of cleaning up the Nairobi River faced a real dilemma of sewage continually flowing into the murky stream in spite of their effort to stop it.

The filth would flow all the way from Museum Hill to Racecourse estate in the eastern side of the City without a sign that it would ever stop.

Former Nairobi Town Clerk John Gakuo was the man Environment minister John Michuki ,who died on Tuesday, had charged with the task of cleaning up the mess.

Even for Mr Gakuo, who had cultivated the image of a no nonsense administrator in Nairobi, the sewage presented a Herculean task whose solution was not forthcoming.

He was stunned by the simplicity of Mr Michuki’s solution. “Just block the pipes,” said the minister who had become famous for his unorthodox problem solving skills.

Mr Gakuo and his team complied with the order and blocked the giant pipes causing a mighty uproar in the city as foul-smelling raw sewage flooded roads, business premises and residential estates.

That action forced the Nairobi Water & Sewerage Company to swiftly redirect the sewage to the right channels moving the clean-up of Nairobi River to the next level.

That is what sums up the character of Mr Michuki, one of Kenya’s most resolute public servants who was loved and reviled by the citizens he served in almost equal measure.

Mr Michuki leaves behind a character of determination, forthrightness and firmness that saw him stand by his words and actions however controversial.

“Once he set his mind on something he believed it was impossible to fail,” said Mr Gakuo who worked with Mr Michuki for many years.

Earlier, in March 2004 while he served as Transport minister, Mr Michuki had captured the imagination of Kenyans when he single-handedly formulated and implemented new regulations that returned sanity to the chaotic public transport sector.

The regulations required public service vehicles to install speed governors, employees to wear uniforms, vehicles to operate only on specific routes and outlawed standing passengers.

Initially, the PSV operators reacted to the so-called Michuki rules with skepticism and outright hostility.

But for Mr Michuki, rules had been made and not even a strike by the operators would make him change his mind.
With popular public support, it took Mr Michuki only a couple of months to realise full compliance and the results were there for all to see.

The Association of Kenya Insurers (AKI) estimates that accidents involving PSV fell by 25 (or 50 going by State figures) per cent at the time, for the very first time allowing the underwriters to cut premiums by 15 per cent.