Has Ex-Top Kibaki Technocrat Been Sent Into Permanent Retirement After His Miscalculated Gamble?

Former Nyandarua Governor Francis Kimemia ( Photo Courtesy)

He rose from the lowly position of District Officer to the inner sanctum of power in both the former Presidents Mwai Kibaki and Uhuru Kenyatta regimes.

At the height of his career in the civil service, Francis Kimemia had the ear of the President. As Secretary to the cabinet and Head of the Public Service, the man from Nyandarua County enjoyed too much influence and power.

Kimemia served as Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Internal Security before being elevated to the powerful Secretary to the Cabinet position following the resignation of Francis Muthaura.

The top government technocrat and operative would oversee the smooth handover of power from the outgoing Mwai Kibaki to the incoming Uhuru. But this came with too much criticism from the opposition led by the then Prime Minister Raila Odinga, who accused him of overstepping his mandate.

With Uhuru taking over, Kimemia still remained an influential figure in the new Jubilee Government. But in 2015, he was kicked out of government.

He would end up spending the next two years in the cold before making a grand comeback in 2017 after being elected as Nyandarua County Governor on a Jubilee Party ticket.

An undated photo of President William Ruto ( Photo Courtesy)

In the run up to the 2022 general election, he went against the grain when he opted to campaign for Raila in the pro-William Ruto region. He lost in his quest for a second straight term as Governor.

The gamble has come back to haunt him after losing his position. Though he has since gravitated to the President Ruto camp, he is still languishing in the cold having failed to land any top government position.

For someone who is almost 70 years now, could this be the end of the road for Kimemia? Has his election loss sent him into permanent retirement?

Content created and supplied by: LarryKatana (via Opera News )