John Ngumi speaks after top 2023 changes replaced Uhuru Kenyatta allies

Mr Ngumi, seen as the "blue-eyed boy" in the Kenyatta government and a career banker was perhaps the most notable casualty as he was replaced as the Board chairman of Safaricom Plc with Adil Khawaja taking over.

Read: Why Mburu cut short five-year KRA term after 8 months

His exit in January came barely a year after his appointment to head the telco’s board in July 2022.

Mr Ngumi’s appointment to the board of Safaricom is said to have been sanctioned at the highest level in government but the ascension of William Ruto to the presidency could have put him in an awkward position given his close ties with the previous regime.

But for a man who has previously served as chairman of State-linked and cash-rich parastatals such as the Industrial and Commercial Development Corporation and his familiarity with government, his exit from Safaricom in his own words is no cause for "drama".

“Whenever I leave a position, I give my reasons as to why I left. I am happy with the changes and there is nothing much more for me to add. I’m currently enjoying my quiet time. It always happens, you come and go, serve and leave. It is the nature of life. There is no drama and I am happy that Safaricom is in good hands,” John Ngumi told the Business Daily in a phone interview.

Githii Mburu, the former commissioner-general of the Kenya Revenue Authority, suffered the same discomfort as he was forced to resign from the taxman hot seat.

Before his resignation, Mr Mburu had grown uneasy with KRA’s new chairman Anthony Mwaura, a close ally of President Ruto who had taken up operational roles at the authority which earned him the tag ‘Executive Chairman’ as he defied the usually laid-back nature of board chairpersons.

In February, Mr Mburu opted to resign less than eight months after getting a fresh five-year term and on the same day when KRA replaced three of its seven managers.

Sources at the time indicated that Mr Mburu opted to throw in the towel rather than wait to be pushed out.

Humphrey Wattanga replaced Mr Mburu.

Mr Ngumi and Mr Mburu have not been the only individuals purged in 2023 as Kenya-Kwanza replaced many other individuals appointed especially on its last days.

Ugas Mohammed was, for instance, appointed to chair the board of the Capital Markets Authority, replacing Nicholas Nesbitt while Shaka Kariuki took over as the chairman of the Competition Authority of Kenya, replacing Nelson Ndirang’u.

NCBA chairman Isaac Awuondo, another ally of the former President, was dropped as chairman of the board of the Kenya Airports Authority and replaced by politician Caleb Kositany.

Former Makueni Governor Kivutha Kibwana's term as the chairperson of the Kenya Ports Authority was also short-lived.

High turnover

Joseph Kinyua, the former head of public service, rose to become the chairman of KCB Group as Andrew Kairu was axed and Joe Sang made a return to the helm of the Kenya Pipeline as managing director.

Most recently, President Ruto’s media team lead David Mugonyi has been named as the director-general of the Communications Authority, replacing the ousted Ezra Chiloba.

Analysts have criticised the high turnover, warning such changes result in dampened productivity with many of the political appointees serving the interests of the government of the day.

Read: Will the suspended Ezra Chiloba be second time lucky?

“A normal country has career civil servants who serve the government of the day. Politically motivated appointees usually serve at the whims of the Executive and is an indication of poor leadership where those in charge have a hunter mentality where the country is treated as an animal to be killed, slaughtered and the spoils shared,” noted Prof Gitile Naituli, an Associate Professor of Leadership and Management at Multimedia University.

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