Nairobi County Governor Johnson Sakaja and Beryl Achieng Odinga(inset).
The Odinga family has gone and done it again. They have inherited Nairobi Water as they have the ODM party. The son of the late Beryl Odinga has inherited his mother’s seat at the Nairobi Water board.
Listening to Nairobi Governor, Johnson Sakaja, give away the post to Beryl’s son, as if he owns the board, makes you question whether our politicians understand their roles at all.
State jobs are not part and parcel of private enterprise run by politicians or officials in government. They are State property just like the cars they drive and the offices they inhabit, but because the lines between what is government and private are so blurred, it is not surprising to see the arrogance with which State jobs are given away.
The tokenism around government jobs is mind-boggling. Kenya’s presidents have used State jobs for political ends for yonks. They settle election conflicts by giving away State jobs to quell disquiet in constituencies or tame opponents. But are these jobs theirs to give away?
Where did the power to dish out State jobs come from? The constitution may have envisaged that a leader’s name could be invoked when appointing someone to a public job, but that does not give ownership of the jobs to any politician.
A governor having the audacity to hand out a public job with little regard for procedures and processes shows the rot in government offices, where nepotism and corruption festers. If ever we wondered where “ghost” workers in government come from, then the answer lies in the assumed powers being exercised by politicians and senior government officials.
Foreign Affairs has practically become the unit through which presidents bribe individuals and communities by dishing out diplomatic roles. Politicians and senior government officials need not worry about being out of work as long as the Ministry of Foreign Affairs exists.
If they fail in politics, ambassadorship awaits. It is one ministry that is totally devoid of professionalism, reduced to village and tribal politics rather than global politics run by high-calibre, well-trained career diplomats. There is no other ministry that is staffed to the hilt by political rejects.
Perpetual internship
This is a ministry that should be guiding the country’s foreign policies, but instead it is so inward-looking, trying to appease its appointing master to the country’s detriment. No wonder our foreign policies are non-existent, and our “diplomats” are more often left stuttering on the global stage since they are clueless on what their roles entail.
As the politicians give jobs away to friends and family, the rest of Kenya is left in perpetual internship or trafficked abroad to do menial work. Essentially, Kenya exists to serve the political class and no one else. Parliament has even deemed it fit to pass a Bill on internship as if that is the best option they could come up with in jobs creation.
Why are they not giving internships to their families and political friends? Beryl’s son has been allowed to skip all the career growth steps, including an internship, to land a serious post.
State jobs
While they give each other State jobs, government officials have turned the rest of Kenyans into human cargo to be shipped across the world as they profit from the trade. Ministry of Labour officials chasing bribes to facilitate the trade only speak of how deep-rooted trafficking has become in Kenya.
The president’s family was implicated as benefiting from the trafficking, according to the New York Times. He is also a master of dishing out State jobs for political ends.
Internship is not job creation. It leads to instability in the job market and the economy. In many cases, it opens interns to abuse in the workplaces. MPs’ role is to create jobs for all Kenyans. As things are, it appears only those with connections are assured of employment. Creating jobs at home is good for the economy, tackles poverty and improves the standard of living for all and sundry.
State jobs should only go to the most qualified individuals. They should be competitive, open to all Kenyans for equal opportunity purposes and handled in a more transparent manner. They should never be tokens for politicians to use to settle scores or reward their friends and families.
Kenyans must have a say in who gets these jobs, and the process by which they are handed out should be transparent. The current system, where only the well-connected are allowed to have them, is unfair and unjust to the rest of Kenyans. It makes politicians and their families feel entitled. Tokenism must end!
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Ms Guyo is a legal researcher, [email protected], @kdiguyo
