Alfred Mutua is all spray and pray – is he a good alternative?

The September 18, 2021, article on alternative presidential candidates showed that many of the 22 second-term governors have failed the presidential traits test. Only the Makueni Governor, Prof Kibutha Kibwana, passes this test. Others, like Kakamega Governor Wycliffe Oparanya, pass with regard to some, but not all traits.

The article noted that the American model of raising presidential candidates from among the governors and senators, when applied in Kenya, appeared to be failing. Not many governors and senators have performed well above others or committed to a national course to be considered as presidential candidates.

But this is not the fault of second-term governors only. It is the unintended consequence of devolution.

Experienced politicians transferred their interests to the counties. Others sat in Senate for a short time and then decided to go to the counties. Many who had a national reputation and profile such as the Governor of Kisumu County, Prof Peter Anyang Nyong’o, and the governor of Meru, Mr Kiraitu Murungi, abandoned the national stage for the counties.

Devolution was not meant to undermine the nation-state project. It was meant to lay a strong foundation for national leadership. Performance at this level or any national responsibility would give someone a springboard into national politics. This, however, appears not to be the case now.

But are there other second-term governors who have some traits to consider.  Only a few have declared interest in running for presidency in 2022 thus far.

 Machakos Governor Alfred Mutua is one of them. Mombasa Governor Ali Hassan Joho had intentions but has withdrawn. Mr Joho has publicly declared support for former Prime Minister Raila Odinga. He started early but has not gone far

Dr Mutua showed interest in running and winning an election to be Kenya’s president from the first time he was elected governor of Machakos County. But even before running for county governorship, he had a huge appetite for anything that could impress. President Mwai Kibaki appointed him the first official government spokesperson in June 2004. President Kibaki had health setbacks and it is possible that the ‘Deep state’ appointed Dr Mutua to help manage public discourse on this problem.

The government’s performance in all sectors was remarkable. It did not require a spokesperson to demonstrate this. And Dr Mutua was impressive. He was quick at showcasing the governments impressive performance almost every week.

He did this so well that he won the support of many in government. But he showed his biases when he worked for the Grand Coalition Government. He was biased in favour of the President Kibaki’s side of the coalition. All the same, he was good at his job. Even when there was nothing much to say, he would show up with rituals and paraphernalia of his office.

Spray and pray to impress?

Dr Mutua requires credit. He has ability to do many things at the same time. He sprays and prays that things will happen. He plans and begins many things on the assumption that quantity is not a bad idea.

Dr Mutua is also able to design and engage in activities that can be displayed only to attract and impress. Put this down to his journalism and communication background. Give this credit, too, to international exposure too. He is well trained. He has worked for the media in the US and Australia. He has taught in universities in Australia and the United Arab Emirates.

This experience has given him an appetite for communicating only what can impress. He shows no interest in anything that does not attract and impress his competitors. Whether private or personal, he goes for what will leave a mark of impression.

In his first term as governor, there were stories on how he allegedly treated other governors even when they invited him to their counties. He would reportedly visit accompanied by kitchen staff in a presidential style. This team would make lunch and prepare a presidential tent for other governors, including the host governor.

When it was time for lunch, his team would stand strategically near the door giving direction to the tent like presidential aides do. Governors would take lunch together with Dr Mutua, who would pretend nothing wrong had taken place in other people’s territory.

Good performance in development

Again Dr Mutua deserves credit for his achievements. In setting up the first county government, he did many things that other governors emulated. In fact, many governors were clueless about how to run county governments and waited to see what Dr Mutua would do. They thought he knew how to navigate the public sector regulations because of his experience as a government spokesperson.

Many would wait to learn from Dr Mutua. He did not disappoint. He began by procuring security vehicles to support the police in their night patrols in the county.

Security is a national government function, but Dr Mutua argued that crime was constraining services. He procured vehicles for patrols. These are in place and visible on highways.

Other county governments followed suit but suffered the wrath of mandarins in national government.

Dr Mutua supported revival of agricultural extension services. When other county governments were debating whether extension services were a national or county government responsibility, Dr Mutua proceeded to revive the services.

 The county government bought motorcycles to support extension services.

The government provided fuel and staff to support farmers.

The government also provided subsidized fertilisers and seedlings to farmers.

The national government was livid. The mandarins at the National Treasury and the Ministry of Agriculture were furious that their pie was reducing.

They had to frustrate these and similar efforts as they were taking away what the national ministries had for long used as sources of influence and rentseeking.

They frustrated all county governments that attempted to take up these functions.

Dr Mutua impressed in other ways.

During his first ‘state of the county’ address, he used a modern lectern emblazoned with the words of “Governor of Machakos”.

Immediately after this event, other governors followed suit.  Some did it so badly that their lecterns were a public disaster. Next was the Machakos governor’s new office.

It was designed to impress too. Its impressive architectural design rivals State House – some would say it is even better.

His other projects were designed to impress and help too. He was among the first governors to facilitate installation of streetlights in urban centres. This was impressive.

He had streetlights all the way from the junction of Mombasa highway to Machakos town. These streetlights reduced motor vehicle accidents on the road by a big margin. Lights in market centres enabled people to carry on with small-scale trading without challenges of security.

The chap chap roads

He has a track record in construction and improvement of roads.

He was the first governor to tarmac county roads. But his roads were done fast, or, as Dr Mutua would have it, chap chap. They were done to impress.

In 2014, he built what was seen as the fastest-built road in Africa.

This was a 33 km road that was built in a period of three months and at one-third of what it costs the national government to build such a road.

Whether durable or not, Dr Mutua impressed on everyone that it is possible to tarmac roads fast and at less than half the cost. From this road, it was evident that probably more than 70 per cent of road costs go to corruption. Contractors give a bribe to government officers to cover them.

They also give bribes to politicians to protect them where the politicians are themselves not the contractors.

His improvement of urban centres was also chap chap.

Machakos is also synonymous with clean towns, pedestrian pavements where possible and improved services such as water in the villages.

Water pans and boreholes have addressed water challenges in some parts of the county. Some of these were done fast too.

One would say Dr Mutua’s efforts have left a sustainable image of good infrastructure, clean towns and good services.

A review of Dr Mutua’s performance would be incomplete without mentioning Machakos People’s Park and the stadium.

Again, he did these in record time. Both are very popular spaces in the country today. Rugby enthusiasts cause traffic snarl-ups heading to or out of Machakos. The park is popular with leisure activities.

Governance challenges

This performance would be good for a presidential candidate if accompanied by ability to address governance failures, abuse of office and strengthening of institutions.

For the two terms Dr Mutua has served as a governor, he has tended to work alone.

Dr Mutua does not work in teams; he is not a team player and is not a listener.

He does not look like someone with friends among other governors. At least not when he is the one inviting hosts to lunch at their home!

If he has any policy advisers, then they do not matter in what he does. He knows it all. He listens only to himself.

All the same, Dr Mutua, the governor of Machakos County, is young and can be a strong presidential candidate if he learnt to listen and to work with teams to deliver as one.

The next article will look at Mr Jimmy Wanjigi as an alternative presidential candidate. He has already walked some distance and has a long way to go.

Prof Karuti Kanyinga is based at the Institute for Development Studies (IDS), University of Nairobi, [email protected];        @karutikk