KISUMU, Kenya, Oct 12 — Homa Bay Governor Gladys Wanga has made new appointments creating additional office structures in a move her administration says will enhance service delivery.
The newly created offices included that of Government Spokesperson (County), eight advisors, six liaison officers and four delivery unit monitors each with distinct office operations.
The Governor assigned eight advisors to cover the broad areas of climate change, education, blue economy and fisheries, security and intelligence, political affairs and youth affairs.
Leading the pack is Silas Jakakimba who has been a longtime aide of ODM leader Raila Odinga. The a flamboyant city lawyer was appointed as an advisor on legal affairs to the Governor.
Jakakimba, a native of Suba North, had hoped to land plum jobs in the Raila presidency but the loss to President William Ruto dealt his aspirations a debilitating blow.
Other young Azimio luminaries from the region will take up other key slots in the new administrative structure seen as heavily bloated given ballooning recurrent expense and shrinking budgetary allocations on development.
For the first time, Homa Bay will have a Government Spokesperson, an office assigned to Racheal Adhiambo Ogutu who hails from Kabondo Kasipul.
The Governor went further to unveil a team of six liaison officers for various sectors.
The sectors include, boda boda, youth, women, sports, Beach Management Units and person living with disabilities.
She further created four offices to run the Governor’s Delivery Unit borrowing from former President Uhuru Kenyatta’s model of Presidential Delivery Unit.
The Governor defended the appointments saying she had secured the required approval from the County Public Service Board.
“I wish to assure the people of Homa Bay that I have consulted and obtained approval from the County Public Service Board in creation of the various offices that I have named,” Governor Wanga told the press on Wednesday.
Wanga also named her Deputy, Oyugi Magwanga, as the County Executive Committee Member for Agriculture and Livestock, further confirming that she had transmitted a list of all County Executive Commitee nominees to the County Assembly for vetting and approval.
“I set up a selection process through the 100 days taskforce that I gazette and had occasion to conduct suitability tests on the proposed nominees to fit their areas of expertise,” the Governor said.
Magwanga who had shown interest to lead the county in the run up to the August 9 General Election had shelved his ambition to back Wanga in an arrangement spearheaded by Odinga.
His appointment is seen as a token of appreciation, being the first Deputy Governor in the region to be given a secondary responsibility to carry out within the county.
Most Deputy Governors have in the recent past complained of lacking clear duties since their positions relayed heavily on assignments by Governors.
About The Author
