News story (by Standard team) - Aged civil servants to be targeted in purge

Ref: http://www.eastandard.net/news/?id=1143983616&cid=4&PHPSESSID=9c16874072797dda26f5fe4015118eb2
Published on March 21, 2008, 12:00 am

By Standard Team

Top civil servants over 55 years are in the crosshairs after they were earmarked for axing under the new power-sharing pact, The Standard can report.

On Thursday, plans to retire all ‘grey-haired’ permanent secretaries, parastatal heads and other senior civil servants were being finalised to give way for youthful faces. The purge is expected any time now, but not before the announcement of the new Cabinet that is expected early next week.

The Standard has reliably learnt that to fulfil the real power-sharing agreement, ODM had presented their demands to President Kibaki that a good chunk of public jobs should be set aside for heads hunted by the party.

The Head of State jetted back from Kampala, Uganda, on Thursday and wasted no time in assenting to National Accord and Reconciliation Bill, 2008, which was passed by Parliament on Tuesday evening.

The Act now gives effect to the agreement on the principles of partnership of the Coalition Government. It is also expected to foster national reconciliation apart from leading to the establishment of the offices of Prime Minister and two deputies.

The Standard has learnt that positions to be left vacant by the old guard would be taken up by technocrats recommended by both ODM and PNU, or promoted among the public service ranks.

Top Government and ODM sources said the retrenchment and replacement programme was in the spirit of ‘real’ power-sharing, and would be carried out despite Civil Service head Francis Muthaura’s recent ‘clarification’ to the contrary.

It now looks like Muthaura had gotten the wrong signal and could actually be among those earmarked for axing.

Reports of the impending purge caused anxiety among top public service officers.

Cabinet list expected

President Kibaki and Prime Minister-designate Raila Odinga are expected to hold a meeting on Friday at Harambee House to, among others, deliberate on the face of the new Government.

"Among the issues they will discuss is portfolio balance and the names that would go into the shared Cabinet," said an ODM Pentagon source.

Government sources said Muthaura let the cat out of the bag when he controversially dismissed such a programme two weeks ago, but all signs are that a plan is afoot to share at least some top civil service jobs.

In his clarification, Muthaura had sought to explain the Government pecking order which, according to him, placed the Vice-President’s office above that of the Prime Minister.

Experts in government believe that in the new dispensation, the Head of the Public Service — who is also Secretary to the Cabinet — would work directly under the Prime Minister.

Apart from Muthaura himself, other top public service managers who above the retirement age are permanent secretaries Prof Karega Mutahi, 65 (Education), Mr Patrick Nyoike, 60 (Energy) and Mr Gerishon Ikiara, 57 (Transport).

Others are KRA Commissioner-General Michael Waweru, Kenya Airports Authority Managing Director George Muhoho and Kenya Civil Aviation Director General Chris Kutto.

Also in this category are Kenya Tourist Board Managing Director Ochieng Ong’ong’a, Kenya Pipeline boss George Okungu, KenGen MD Eddy Njoroge and Internal Security PS Cyrus Gituai, among others.

Several ambassadors and High Commissioners have also attained the retirement age.

Speculation remained high on whether President Kibaki would name the new Cabinet during the Easter weekend, even as State House sources insisted it would be unveiled on Tuesday.

ODM is already said to have finalised its list of 17 would-be Cabinet ministers, which Raila would discuss with Kibaki Friday. Both sides are also understood to have lined up names for public jobs.

But a source close to Pentagon said ODM, just like PNU, had professionals who needed jobs.

Among other things, the civil service purge will attempt to strike an ethnic and regional balance while leading to the employment of more people into the service.

Last year, the Government formed a taskforce to look into allegations of tribalism into top public appointments.

The inter-ministerial taskforce on staffing distribution was to carry out a situational analysis on the distribution of staff and make recommendations on the action to be taken.

The issue of "grey-haired" PSs was first raised in Parliament two years ago when then Minister for Public Service, Mr Moses Akaranga, found it hard convincing members on the need to retain the elderly PSs.

While admitting that the officers had attained the mandatory retirement age, Akaranga said their appointment was the prerogative of the President, in accordance with the Constitution.

The debate in the House was followed in quick succession by a proposal by Finance PS Joseph Kinyua, who in 2007 said the retirement age for civil servants could be raised from 55 to 60 years beginning this year.

"Actuarial experts have advised the Government to raise the civil servants’ and teachers’ retirement age to 60. We expect to bring this proposal to Parliament in next year’s Budget," said Kinyua.

However, the proposal elicited opposition when it was first mooted by Muthaura. MPs said acceding to the move was a sure key to locking out young, educated people from employment.

But Muthaura then argued that it would save the Government money on pension payments, saying the 55-year age limit was unsustainable.

PM office

Meanwhile, the Government is considering an additional building to host the Office of the Prime Minister.

Muthaura chaired a meeting yesterday seeking to identify the ideal location of the office.

Sources said the Government had proposed that the office be located at Marshall’s House.

The plan would be to have the Government buy the building from the Central Bank Deposit Pension Scheme.

The building currently hosts the Anti-banking fraud team of the Central Bank and reportedly has adequate office space and ample parking.

Other options mooted earlier included Harambee House and the Foreign Affairs and Treasury buildings.

However, the team tackling the matter is yet to settle on one.

ODM Secretary-General Prof Anyang’ Nyong’o said the party was aware that the Government was busy planning for the PM’s office.