Interior and National Administration Cabinet Secretary (CS) Kithure Kindiki and Labour and Social Protection Cabinet Secretary (CS) Florence Bore are the top two CSs with the most activities around their ministries, a new survey has revealed.
According to the data released on Wednesday, February 7, 2024, by Trends and Insights Africa (TIFA) research firm, Kithure Kindiki leads with the most reported activities(192), followed by Florence Bore(183), and Water CS Zachary Njeru(165). Others are Health CS Susan Nakhumicha(162) and Prime Cabinet Secretary and Foreign & Diaspora Affairs Musalia Mudavadi(159).
"Conversely, Alfred Mutua and Aden Duale recorded the least number of activities. This variation in activity levels among these individuals indicates diverse approaches and priorities within their respective roles.
Out of all the activities, the survey shows that 77% were relevant to each cabinet secretary’s ministry.
"Relevant activities are those that are part of the ministry’s mandate. Unrelated activities These are mostly political meetings or activities. Others reported to a lesser extent are church and funeral attendance."
Notably, the Interior CS leads with the most reported activities in other counties (apart from Nairobi) followed by Susan Nakhumicha (Health), Salim Mvurya (Mining, Blue Economy and Maritime Affairs) and Musalia Mudavadi.
"A staggering 54% of the cabinet secretaries' activities concentrated their activities in Nairobi, totalling 1,377 engagements. The over-focus could be attributed to the fact that their offices are located in Nairobi. This is not ideal and is an indication that there is an overconcentration of activities in Nairobi This glaring over-focus is conveniently justified by the proximity of their offices in the capital," TIFA noted.
According to TIFA, the concentration of Cabinet Secretaries' efforts solely in Nairobi poses several challenges including limited local impact and perception of neglect: "Residents outside of Nairobi may feel neglected or marginalized, fostering a sense of inequality and dissatisfaction with the government."
Meanwhile, CS Kindiki holds the record for visiting the highest number of counties, having successfully covered 41 out of the 47 counties. He is followed by Susan Nakhumicha.
On the other hand, the two CSs; Kindiki and Nakhumicha have the lowest number of activities in their home counties.
"CS Salim Mvurya recorded the highest number of home visit activities followed by Mithika Linturi and Zacharia Njeru," TIFA revealed.
