Rejoice when one homeboy replaces another it ensures continuity, communication ease

It gives me great pleasure to write this congratulatory note to Siegeman David Kimaiyo, the outgoing Inspector General of Police who has been appointed chairman of the Kenya Airports Authority.

I was a bit confused when I heard of his new appointment, considering he had opted to take early voluntary retirement, but then I remembered the former IG was given to rapid change of mind – like when he banned a rally by opposition Cord, then acquiesced to their demands and allowed it to proceed in only a matter of hours.
So it is a safe bet that he simply changed his mind about early retirement, the one that he announced only last month, and offered himself for yet another post.
By the same token, I should say I am distressed by some killjoys who impute improper motives in the appointment of Siegeman’s successor, one Joseph Boinett.
Apparently, they are miffed that the latter hails from the same county as Siegeman, which they see as a great violation of the principle of inclusion.
Why, they argue, although there are 47 counties in the country, it appears certain jobs are reserved for certain entities from certain localities.
They also point to the successor of former Interior Cabinet Secretary, Joseph ole Lenku. He, too, was not only replaced by a fellow Kajiado county colleague, his name is also Joseph – Joseph ole Nkaissery.
Such detractors, naturally, pay scant attention to qualifications of those involved.

Nkaissery, for instance, is a decorated soldier, trained in places far and wide, and so likely to pursue security matters kijeshi. This means bare-knuckled military response, and not engaging in pep talk with terrorists, as some NGO people have been proposing, to negotiate truce with criminals.
The latter assertion, they say, is necessitated by the American experience in the Middle East, where it seems to be digging into a deeper hole with the mutation of rebel groups morph from one entity to another.
On homeboys replacing homeboys, what critics fail to appreciate is that that’s the way things go even in Ulaya (Europe). If there is a hint of kimenyano (favouritism) when one homeboy is replaced by another, they don’t see it on those terms in Europe.

IMF EXAMPLE

For instance, when Frenchman Dominique Strauss-Khan (DSK) was hounded out of office under a cloud of scandal, instigated by a chambermaid who alleged that DSK had forced her to perform some dishonourable acts, he was replaced by another French national at the helm of the International Monetary Fund.
Nobody even seemed to notice that, perhaps because womenfolk had partly been appeased with the appointment of a woman to replace a man who had reportedly violated womenfolk.
Nobody questioned if the IMF board had reserved the position for the French; the world simply accepted Christine Lagarde as the new boss and hailed her credentials.
So what might need shedding are those lingering suspicions that those who ascend to power do so at the expense of others.
In any case, where one is born is merely a historical accident; what’s important is what their wealth of experience and the manner in which they conduct their affairs.
If there is any consolation, having public officials replaced by their homeboys ensures continuity of sorts: we are able to understand their communication cues much faster.
On that score, we should be glad that the Elgeyo Marakwet county has produced Siegeman’s successor, even though Siegeman himself is still in town where he will continue making his katekoriko declarations.