News of the appointment of a former Kenya Defense Force officer as the official Government Spokesman reminds Kenyans of the protracted battle the Kenyatta government has had with spokesmen.
After Machakos Governor, Dr Alfred Mutua resigned in September 2012 to pursue active politics, Kibaki appointed Kalonzo Musyoka to be the government spokesman.
Though the appointee, Mr Muthui Kariuki, had shown interest in the Head of Press Service as early as in 2003, Kibaki only gave him the spokesman job in 2012.
But when President Uhuru Kenyatta took office in 2013 after a heated campaign, he was to quickly dismiss Mr Muthui from his office and assign him elsewhere.
Muthui had been a strong critic of the former Prime Minister whom he even accused of delaying to return six government vehicles despite being out of government.
“He is forever mourning that the government is not giving him recognition, yet he has refused to return six government vehicles and has gone on and bought an illegal siren and is forever driving all over town using the wrong lanes,” Mr Kariuki said at the time.
Apart from just sacking Kariuki, Uhuru dissolved the whole office of government Spokesman.
It was until in March, 2016 when President Kenyatta restructured the Office of the Government Spokesman and appointed a former Police Spokesman, Eric Kiraithe.
However, Uhuru Kicked out Kiraithe from State House and based him at the Ministry of Interior and Coordination of National Government.
Then State House Deputy Chief of Staff, Nzioka Waita said the move was “to ensure timely, consistent, coherent, and coordinated communication to the public on all matters relating to the national government’s agenda”.
“Mr Kiraithe, who has a long and distinguished history of public service mainly in the security sector, will take up his new post immediately, moving from his current role as general manager for security services at the Kenya Airports Authority,” said Mr Waita.
Fast forward to 2019 May 7, President Kenyatta has appointed a new government spokesman to replace Eric Kiraithe.
However, unlike Kariuki, President Kenyatta has been cagey on the fate of Kiraithe.
Retired Colonel Cyrus Odhiambo Oguna takes over from Kiraithe who has served barely three years in the office.
Interestingly, Uhuru has moved the office of the Government Spokesman to the less powerful ICT Ministry from where pundits believe its powers will be domiciled.
The spokesman will be working at the mercy and direction of ICT Cabinet Secretary Joe Mucheru.