Ruto sacks over 100 Uhuru appointees in parastatal changes
Ruto sacks over 100 Uhuru Kenyatta appointees in parastatal changes as he seeks to assert his influence in government
Ruto sacks over 100 Uhuru Kenyatta appointees in parastatal changes as he seeks to assert his influence in government.
In an attempt to enhance its control over State-backed businesses and organizations, President William Ruto’s administration has replaced more than 100 appointees with new board members in at least 58 parastatals.
According to an analysis of Kenya Gazette announcements, since the appointments began in November, Ruto and his Cabinet secretaries have hired at least 119 chairs and directors in 58 parastatals, with the President directly appointing an estimated 53 directors.
The new administration which came to power in September has mostly fired directors appointed in the former president’s last days and populated the boards with losers in the August elections who supported his coalition.
The next phase of hiring will seek to replace chief executives of top State-owned firms despite a majority of their contracts running up to 2024.
The top jobs at Kenya Power, the Kenya Ports Authority (KPA), KenGen, and the Kenya Electricity Transmission Company will be low-hanging fruits for new ministers.
Currently, State-owned firms do not have substantive CEOs and the positions look set to attract jostling by political and business operatives for their preferred candidates.
The hiring of preferred top executives will require friendlier boards, triggering the shake-up of directorships in the parastatals.
The ethnic composition of appointments under the new administration will also come under scrutiny amid a push to ensure that offices funded by taxpayers have a face of Kenya.
An earlier report showed that Kikuyu and Kalenjin communities dominated top jobs in government, embassies, and chief executive positions in parastatals.
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The Public Service Commission (PSC) said in the report that Kikuyus and Kalenjins account for 29 percent and 11 percent of the 417 top jobs in government, including directors and principal secretaries respectively.
Kikuyus accounted for 27 percent of Kenya’s 66 envoys and Kalenjins 14 percent.
On CEOs of parastatals, Kikuyus took 20 percent of the positions followed by Kalenjins at 19.4 percent, Luo (14.4 percent), and Luhya (10 percent).
The Constitution introduced the ethnic representation requirements to check a historical trend where tribesmen of those in power were favoured during recruitment.
Ethnic groups whose job representation surpasses their corresponding national population proportion are considered to be over-represented.
The Kikuyu and Kalenjin dominance mirrors the two tribes’ presence at the highest office in Kenya since Independence.
On replacing parastatal CEOs, Cabinet secretaries face a legal hitch, with a majority of executives having their contracts running up to 2024.
The Cabinet secretaries will either have to wait longer to replace the CEOs or tear up their contracts in a move that could prompt lawsuits.
The law says that CEOs can only be removed from office due to absenteeism, being jailed for a term exceeding six months, and prolonged sickness or mental illness.
Top executives can also resign under a rule that ministers have exploited before to force out CEOs of State-owned firms.
The fallouts have triggered lawsuits that have seen some chief executives get back their jobs and others receive compensation for unfair dismissal.
Also read,
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