End of an era: PCs on last lap of a dying colonial legacy

By ISAAC ONGIRI

The stage is set for the appointment and installation of 47 new administrators to be posted to the devolved governments as county co-ordinators to replace Provincial Commissioners.

In a historic shift of power President Kibaki is expected to formally appoint county co-ordinators (CCs), who will assume all the responsibilities, powers, and functions of PCs.

Pending deployment: The PCs shall induct county co-ordinators before they take up new offices. [PICTURE: MARTIN MUKANGU/STANDARD]

A complete insignia symbolising the power befitting the new security office is being worked on for the CCs, who will also fly flags similar to those of phased out PCs.

Further to that the Office of the President now maintains that the county co-ordinators will chair the local security committees, while governors will be in charge of county policing authorities.

Sources at the Office of The President have revealed that there is a hurry to install the administrators to give them enough time to prepare to handle security issues during the transitional General Election, due next year.

Some of the regional administrators will preside over as few as two districts under DCs.  Others will be in charge of as many as 10 districts in their counties.

 The appointment of the new administrators is the climax of the 48-year-era of the post-colonial Provincial Administration under PCs.

Now the eight PCs Japhter Rugut (Central), Ernest Munyi (Coast), Clare Omolo (Eastern), Njoroge Ndirangu (Nairobi), James ole Seriani (North-Eastern), Francis Mutie (Nyanza), Osman Warfa (Rift Valley), and Samuel Kilele (Western) would be redeployed to other public offices after they induct the new administrators.

Most of the PCs, The Standard On Sunday established, are earmarked for appointments as secretaries within Government, while one of them is set to be made a Permanent Secretary.

But disquiet has rocked the process with several senior DCs questioning the planned appointments, terming them discriminatory. They accused some senior officials at the Office of the President of manipulating the process.

The DCs, who spoke on condition of anonymity, now want the Public Service Commission to take charge of the recruitment to allow for professionalism and merit.

Investigations by The Standard On Sunday have revealed that the identification of the 47 officers designated to take over from PCs is complete.

A list adopted by a team of technocrats at the Office of the President, working on the appointments, include the 23 regional commissioners who are in charge of sub-provinces. The Government created the sub-provinces two years ago.

Provincial Administration Secretary Victor Okioma confirmed there are plans to deploy administrators to the counties.

“Yes it is true we are relocating to the counties. Very soon the 47 county co-ordinators will be named and introduced to the public,” Okioma said.

The Office of the President official confirmed that the personnel department in the Ministry of Internal Security and Provincial Administration is working on the final list, which he said would reflect regional and gender balance, as is stipulated in the Constitution.

Mr Okioma said the installation of the CCs would pave way for the deployment of other civil servants from other ministries to counties in preparation for proper devolved governments after the 2012 General Election.

“We are being led by seniority and ability of an individual to undertake the responsibilities and functions under this position.

The files of those set for promotion have been scrutinised to ensure they fit the bill. There is no need for the DCs or anybody to be worried about this issue,” he said.

The administrator confirmed that the appointments maybe made within a month, but added the Permanent Secretary is handling the actual date of appointments.

He, however, said that the outgoing PCs would oversee the transition before they are redeployed.

Assistant Minister Orwa Ojode also allayed fears of manipulation of the exercise, accusing some junior administrators of seeking top appointments, which they do not qualify for.

“These are going to be very serious positions at the counties and therefore we are only promoting senior administrators. But for purposes of regional and gender balance, we may have to slip into the lower cadre just to conform to the Constitution,” Mr Ojode said.

Defense Assistant Minister David Musila, who served as a PC for several years, says there should be no dispute on the CCs being presidential appointees.

“Even now the President and the PSC have worked well in appointing PCs. This is a crucial position and the President must take charge of appointments of county co-ordinators,” Mr Musila stated.

Musila also criticised an attempt to make governors chairpersons of the county security committees.

He says the security docket is an exclusive function of the Central Government, and, therefore, must be under the President’s representative.

However, Musila says the contributions of governors in supplementing the Central Government efforts in enhancing security in the counties should not be ignored.