Yatani stays as dozens quit ahead of deadline

Finance Cabinet Secretary Ukur Yatani. PHOTO | FRANCIS NDERITU | NMG

By BRIAN NGUGI
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Summary

• Head of Public Service Joseph Kinyua on January 28 ordered officials seeking elective seats, including Cabinet Secretaries, to hand over all public assets under their dockets and quit in line with the February 9 deadline.
• More resignations are expected especially after the Court of Appeal upheld provisions of the Elections Act requiring public officials aspiring for elective offices to resign six months to an election.
• A number of Cabinet Secretaries reported in the past to be interested in elective seats, including Treasury’s Ukur Yatani, were yet to announce whether they would stay or leave by Tuesday evening.

President Uhuru Kenyatta is expected to make new appointments to his administration after three Cabinet Secretaries and more than a dozen senior officials resigned to run for elective office.

Cabinet Secretaries Charles Keter (Devolution), Adan Mohamed (East African Community and Regional Development) and John Munyes (Petroleum and Mining) announced their resignations on Tuesday to comply with a directive requiring all public officials seeking elective office to quit by today midnight.

Head of Public Service Joseph Kinyua on January 28 ordered officials seeking elective seats, including Cabinet Secretaries, to hand over all public assets under their dockets and quit in line with the February 9 deadline.

More resignations are expected especially after the Court of Appeal upheld provisions of the Elections Act requiring public officials aspiring for elective offices to resign six months to an election.

A number of Cabinet Secretaries reported in the past to be interested in elective seats, including Treasury’s Ukur Yatani, were yet to announce whether they would stay or leave by Tuesday evening.

Mr Yatani said earlier there would be no vacuum at the Treasury after the notice by the head of public service.

“Let me assure you there is no vacancy in the office of the National Treasury CS….Whether I run or not that will be communicated at the right time,” Mr Yatani who was reported to eye an elective seat said in response to Business Daily queries.

Mr Keter is eyeing the Kericho governor’s seat, while Mr Munyes and Mr Mohamed are aspiring to be the next governors of the Turkana and Mandera respectively.

Seven Cabinet Administrative Secretaries have already resigned to seek elective posts.

They are Patrick Ntuntu (Labour), Joseph Boinett (Tourism), John Mosonik (Petroleum and Mining), Wavinya Ndeti (Transport), Ken Obura (East African Community), Hassan Noor Hassan (Education) and Gideon Mung’aro (Devolution).

Fred Segor has also resigned as Wildlife Principal Secretary.

The mass resignations could hamper operations in several ministries, State agencies and President Kenyatta and the Public Service Commission (PSC) is expected to face increased pressure to seek their replacements and ensure the smooth running of his administration.

George Natembeya resigned as Regional Commissioner for Rift Valley to vie for the Trans Nzoia gubernatorial seat.

“It is notified that all…public officers who intend to seek elective posts in the 2022 General Election scheduled for 9 August 2022 are required to resign from their office,” said Mr Kinyua in a circular to all to the Cabinet secretaries, the Public Service Commission, Council of Governors, the Judiciary and Parliament.

“It is further guided that those comprehensive handover notes should lay emphasis on work plans in progress, annotate all public assets handed over, the status of priority national development programmes…any other matter of significance.”

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