Why Governor Evans Kidero fired old hand Gakuo

Evans Kidero pulled a surprise on his cabinet when he ‘fired’ John Gakuo, his Environment minister recently.

City Hall insiders told The Nairobian that the ‘sacking’ of the former town clerk was unexpected.

The October 8 reshuffle also saw Kidero ‘fire’ his health minister, Timothy King’ondu. An official at City Hall said they two were “caught unawares.”

Kidero, in a statement, said they resigned, but reports indicate there had been pressure to drop the two on claims of non-performance.

Other changes made included the transfer of Evans Ondieki from the roads portfolio to environment.

Insiders claim Gakuo had become a “boardroom boss.”

He had allegedly focused on policy formulation and left most of the substantive work to juniors.

“He was not the Gakuo we knew in the defunct city council. I think there were power conflicts between his office and that of the chief officer, Dr Leah Oyake,” the official claimed.

Gakuo did not respond to our texts regarding the claims, but Oyake said she was not aware of the allegations. When he was Nairobi town clerk, he left a mark by leading reforms that saw service delivery improve.

It is also said Kidero dropped King’ondu after he reportedly abdicated his duties to tend to his private clinic at Upperhill.

Health committee chairman in the County Assembly, Manoah Mboku, claimed they had raised complaints over King’ondu’s performance with Kidero.

However, King’ondu said that after discussions that lasted three months, Kidero hinted that he would replace him.

It is claimed there was a feud pitting King’ondu and his chief officer, Robert Ayisi, regarding protocol issues. King’ondu had allegedly directed his junior officer to report to him directly instead of Ayisi.

He denied the claims of conflict, saying each official had a “tailored responsibility.”

He, however, admitted he had not managed to give total commitment to the office.

“My work was limited to policy formulation and the chief officer and others had theirs. Perhaps Kidero was not satisfied with my advice. Now I will be fully committed to my private business,” King’ondu said.