On Wednesday, March 18, Director of Digital Innovations and Diaspora Communications at the State House Dennis Itumbi together with his other colleagues were fired.
Itumbi and the four; James Kinyua, Erick Ng’eno, David Nzioka and John Ndolo were fired from the President’s Strategic Communications Unit (PSCU) and their posts abolished after Interior CS ordered Public Service Commission Chairman Stephen Kirogo to do away with the posts.
PSC allegedly complied with the demands of CS Matiang’i and abolished the position through a letter dated 18th March and addressed to CS Matiangi.
Analysts are now questioning if CS Matiangi has the powers to fire State House staff.
Their contracts are said to have been expiring on Wednesday, and they had applied for an extension.
However, the state declined to extend their contracts, and instead sent them home.
After the news broke, Itumbi deleted the title of PSCU Director from his Twitter page to a “Pig farmer.”
This might not have come as a surprise to Itumbi who was kicked out of the main dais at the Bomas of Kenya during the launch of the Building Bridges Initiative (BBI) taskforce report in November last year.
He has been at loggerheads with the Directorate of Criminal Investigations after he was accused of publishing false information over the alleged planning of the assassination of Dr Ruto.
In recent times, he has been accusing the DCI of using the Daily Nation to spread propaganda against DR Ruto.
CS Fred Matiangi is known to fund various editors through allowances and benefits like high-end interior Ministry vehicles allocated to them at the cost of the taxpayer.
The CS was recently in the news after being accused of being behind the blasting of ballast in Bobasi Constituency, an action which is causing death and misery in the surrounding village.
CS Matiang’i silenced the mainstream media and ensured that none of them writes the story.
Bobasi MP Innocent Obiri tried to raise the issue with the Cabinet Secretary without knowing that the powerful CS was behind the company blasting quarry in the village.
Matiangi immediately ordered an OCS in Bobasi to have the MP arrested and charged with incitement.
Speaking to CS Matiangi’s Cabinet colleagues, many are of the agreement that power went to the head of the bullish CS who is known less for public engagement but using high-handedness to get his way.
The CS has also been accused of being behind the grabbing of government land in Ruaraka, an allegation he has refused to respond to as he bullies those around him and have his critics arrested.
