President Uhuru Kenyatta’s recent cabinet shake-up resulted in Industrialization CS Adan Mohamed moved to the East African Affairs docket.
It is no doubt the former Barclays Bank Chief Executive Officer will be picking up a low key job currently under former Meru Governor Peter Munya.
Pundits have argued that the swap between Munya and Mohamed is an indication of President Kenyatta’s commitment to clean up and seal loopholes in the country’s industrialization and business sector.
[caption caption="Peter Munya with President Kenyatta at State House (PHOTO/Twitter)"]
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The Industrialization docket has never been under fire and severe scrutiny like in recent days after a raft of changes and a war staged against counterfeits.
According to Daily Nation’s Gakuu Mathenge, “It is significant that two most crucial action centers at the industrialization docket have been in the spotlight recently.”
The Kenya Bureau of Standards (KEBS) and the Anti Counterfeit Agency (ACA) have faced the storm over contraband sugar and among others, importation of substandard fertilizer.
CS Mohamed appointed his former colleague at Barclays Bank Charles Ongwae to head KEBS since 2014.
Ongwae was recently arrested and charged for the substandard fertilizer importation and other crimes.
It is also noted that the series of scandals in the docket had never been exposed until President Kenyatta moved to appoint Wanyama Musiambo to lead the anti-counterfeits drive.
The leather sector has also been a concern to the state. According to data published by the Kenya Bureau of Statistics, importation of leather products stood at Kshs.9 Billion in 2013.
Since CS Mohammed took over, the imports have since risen to Kshs.35 Billion in 2016.
This could not match in any way the Jubilee administration's pledge to have a robust leather production industry that would supply for the armed forces as the KDF, police and also surplus for exports.
More to the swap could not be far from Mohamed's outright contradiction of sentiments made by Interior CS Fred Matiangi on the war against contraband sugar.
Matiang'i had put him on the spot not only before Kenyans but also their boss when he indicated that the sugar in the country was contaminated and partly laced with mercury.
To Kenyans, it would then appear President Uhuru's executive were divided on a matter that stood as too sensitive to the country.
[caption caption="Interior CS Fred Matiang'i addresses the press(PHOTO/Twitter)"]
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