Kidero claims County left out in key government positions

By Geoffrey Mosoku

NAIROBI, KENYA: Nairobi Governor Evans Kidero has threatened to move to court to block the impending interviews of shortlisted candidates for positions of principal secretaries.

Dr. Kidero accuses the Public Service Commission (PSC) of intentionally locking out applicants from Nairobi County in its 155 shortlist.

The Governor is angered that in spite the constitutional provisions that require regional and gender balance, the PSC had given a wide berth individually who were born and bred in Nairobi.

“This is open discrimination when a state body opts to lock out some candidates from a specific region,” Dr. Kidero said in a statement.

The Nairobi County Governor said he was aware of people who were born and bred in the city but their names were missing from the shortlist even after they applied. He however did not reveal when he intends to institute a court case.

“Nairobi County is home to some of the best brains in the country and I know of some individuals who are thorough in their fields and had applied for the principal secretary’s positions but it’s unfortunate that my County has been marginalized,” Kidero said.

The PSC last week published a shortlist of 155 individuals drawn from 46 counties who are set to be interviewed from this week before the final list of 66 is submitted to President Uhuru for appointment.

At the same time, Kidero too faulted the proposed list of nominees to the cabinet announced last week by President Uhuru Kenyatta, saying the city once again has been given a raw deal saying nobody has been nominated from Nairobi.

“Nairobi County constitutes 12 percent of the total population in the country and also produces 65 percent of the gross domestic product, yet President Uhuru and his Deputy overlooked all these factors while announcing the cabinet,” the Governor retorted.

Dr. Kidero urged the President to rethink his list and consider someone from the region for the one of the two positions vacant in the cabinet.

He added that gone are the days when one was always being asked of his home County saying there are thousands of Kenyans whose home County is Nairobi.

Kidero noted that as much as the appointment of nominees to the cabinet was a prerogative of the President, he should abide by his words which said that his government will be all inclusive.

“For us to feel part of the Jubilee government, we should be treated as equals as other counties are being treated, we are asking for fair play," he said.