Matiang’i’s hand in the sacking of Itumbi and co: CS’s request was fulfilled in just 2 days

It has now emerged that Interior minister Fred Matiang’i had requested the Public Service Commission (PSC) to declare positions held by Dennis Itumbi and four others redundant.

The Cabinet Secretary in charge of Coordination of National Government had written to the PSC on Monday, March 16, requesting to have the following posts at State House scrapped completely: senior director of communication, events and branding (job group T/CSG4), senior director of communication, speech writing (job group T/CSG4), senior director of communication, digital, innovation and diaspora communication (job group T/CSG4), director of communication, events and branding (job group T/CSG5), and principal information officer, head of digital strategies (job group N/CSG8).

The minister’s letter was of reference number OP/PA.3/91A of 16.3.2020.

And just two days later (March 18), Matiang’i’s request was fulfilled as the holders of the above positions were given letters informing them of the termination of their contracts.

In a response to the minister’s letter, the PSC said on Wednesday, March 18, that “it had considered your request for abolishment of the five positions”.

“Pursuant to Section 28 of the Public Service Act of 2017, the PSC has abolished underlisted offices upon re-organisation of Government,” read the PSC’s letter, which listed the above positions as ones to be affected by the review.

The affected include: Dennis Njue Itumbi; the senior director digital, innovation and diaspora communication, James Kinyua Mureithi; the senior director, events and branding, David Nzioka Musau; the director, events and branding, Erick Kipkoech Ng’enoh, the senior director, speech writing and John Ndolo, the principal information officer.

The five, PSC says, will receive gratuity (monetary gift from an employer to an employee) on pro rata basis.

The rationale relied on by the CS to request the five positions to be declared redundant remains concealed.

The five have since been ordered to return any government property they are in possession of.

Speculators suggest the five could have been axed following gaffes that led to the suspension of President Uhuru Kenyatta’s Twitter page on March 22, 2019. The Head of State's Twitter page had 3.62 million followers at the time.

Itumbi, in particular, has – of late – been deemed to be communicating Deputy President William Ruto’s narrative, and not that of President Kenyatta, who has been communicating through State House spokesperson Kanze Dena-Mararo or State House Chief of Staff and Head of Presidential Delivery unit, Nzioka Waita.

K24 Digital reached Itumbi for comment, but he did not reply to our message.