By: Joseph Mutua Ndonga
Worth Noting:
- They wanted to create the impression that President Ruto is not walking the talk. This is in terms of respecting, upholding and defending the provisions of the constitution of Kenya.
- Given the nature of his job, Koskei is entitled to have two offices located at State House and Harambee House, respectively.
- It is true that Koskei has in the recent past made key policy decisions. But the question is. Who told you these were his own decisions? If yes, I would have expected to see him being reprimanded.
- At this juncture, allow me to say this. The provisions of our constitution were very clear.
The current issue of The Weekly Citizen has published a story insinuating that the Head of Public Service Felix Koskei is the most powerful man after President William Ruto.
After reading this story, two questions came to my mind. Was its sources rooted in good faith?
Could it turn this was the work of top state officials who were envious of Koskei’s closeness to the President?
We know that the Office of Head of Public Service (HOPS) is created by the constitution and its mandate is well defined.
The holder is required to serve as an eye and ear of the President. As we know, the constitutional duties of the President were broader and wider.
Therefore, it is not possible for him to be all over. This is in terms of communicating all the policies of his government to the public.
For starters, the government is formed by three arms namely Executive, Legislature and Judiciary. The president is head of the former.
The role of HOPS is therefore critical. The holder communicates some of the decisions to the public by releasing a press statement or addressing the media.
The Head of Public Service is therefore obligated to be present in all the meetings chaired or attended by the President.
I think he can send an officer working in his office to hold brief for him when he’s not available.
This explains the rationale of HOPS closeness to the President.
As we now, the President has two main offices-State House and Office of the President at Harambee House.
In light of this, the claims that Koskei’s docket is wider than what is stated in job description did not hold any water.
These claims were ill-advised and made in bad faith.
To me, the critics were not targeting Koskei but the President himself.
They wanted to create the impression that President Ruto is not walking the talk. This is in terms of respecting, upholding and defending the provisions of the constitution of Kenya.
Given the nature of his job, Koskei is entitled to have two offices located at State House andΒ Harambee House, respectively.
It is true that Koskei has in the recent past made key policy decisions. But the question is. Who told you these were his own decisions? If yes, I would have expected to see him being reprimanded.
At this juncture, allow me to say this. The provisions of our constitution were very clear.
On the ladder of hierarchy, the ranking follows this order: The President, Deputy President, Speaker of National Assembly and Chief Justice.
I have skipped the position of the Prime Cabinet Secretary which ought to be third in ranking because it is yet to be entrenched in the constitution.
Back to the story, I have been reading, perusing and analysing the contents of Koskeiβs statements.
Can the critics point out which ones did not fall within the mandate of his job descriptions?
Well, this is not the first time the head of public service is being targeted.
We used to hear the same stories during the reigns of Presidents Daniel Arap Moi, Mwai Kibaki and Uhuru Kenyatta
The smear campaign was initiated by top state officials who felt the holder was blocking them from accessing the President.
Most of them were out to pursue selfish and personal interests.
They wanted to see him for purposes of cutting deals and for gossiping.
When he assumed office, the President fired a warning shot to leaders who harbored such mentality.
I will never entertain such talks. Kenyans gave me a job because they believed in the promises I made to them during the campaigns.
I’m committed to walk the talk. I’m therefore ready to meet you if what you want us to discuss is endeavoured to achieve these goals.
The head of public service is a well-schooled personality and has a lot of experiences. His career in civil service and political arena spans many years.
He therefore fully understands the vision, mission and agenda of President Ruto. Let us allow him to do his job.
Joseph Mutua Ndonga is a writer and political analyst based in Nairobi
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