Maj Gen (Rtd), Gordon Kihalangwa, is among the super appointees who have performed exceptionally well in President Uhuru Kenyatta's administration.
His tenure has been characterised by many success stories that have catapulted him to greater heights in the Jubilee administration, and earning him a spot in the Top 100 Kenyans 2021 list.
Before being appointed in the government docket, Kihalangwa served in the military. He had a stellar career in the Kenya Defense Forces where he served as the Head of the Military Police.
This military man was then promoted to Assistant Chief of Defence Forces responsible for personnel and logistics at Defence Headquarters.
He left the forces in 2013 after hitting the retirement age. But with skills and experience acquired in defending the Kenyan borders, he landed a government job. Kihalangwa was appointed the Director of Immigration.
Uhuru, while confirming his appointment, described Kihalangwa - who holds a PhD in International Studies and Diplomacy - as a disciplined and dedicated officer.
"The new Director of Immigration has a wealth of experience in both security services and people management. His appointment greatly strengthens the nation's policing and control of its borders, as well as its internal security," Uhuru said in his statement.
His Success in Immigration Department
Kihalangwa takes credit for the complete overhaul of the immigration department. If you remember very well the exiled lawyer Miguna Miguna's deportation saga, Kihalangwa was the man calling shots.
While collaborating with Interior Cabinet Secretary, Fred Matiang'i, he presided over the rollout of new chip-embedded passports for Kenyans. This move received a lot of praise as it was seen as a project aimed at rooting out forgery and impersonation of current passport holders.
The impact was immense as it improved rankings of Kenyan passports on the Passport Index globally. At the moment, the Kenyan passport is among the most powerful in Africa.
He further streamlined operations at the immigration department making it possible for applicants to book appointments, hence reducing congestions at different immigration offices.
His tenure also saw the rollout of emergency passports for those seeking medication, education, and employment abroad.
His Tenure in the Ministry of Energy
In the recent mini-reshuffle, Uhuru tasked Kihalangwa with another tough task; to restore sanity in the energy sector. He was moved from immigration and appointed the Principal Secretary in the Ministry of Energy, a post he was transferred to in September 2021 from the Ministry of Public Works.
The former KDF soldier is now spearheading change to the energy sector that has been under the public radar for a while now. He is working under CS Monica Juma.
With just less than two months in the new office, Kihalangwa has introduced new measures to flash out cartels in the energy ministry.
He is implementing the task force report released by Uhuru aimed at ensuring electricity prices drop by December 31. He is also expected to stabilise the entire energy sector including fuel prices among other products in his line of duty.
Other tasks include overseeing negotiations between Kenya Power and private energy suppliers, reduction of tariffs, appraisal of Kenya Power staff, and cutting down bloated wage budgets through flashing out ghost workers.
Uhuru has placed so much faith in Kihalangwa and he was delivered on all his assigned chores. He is with no doubt among the most successful appointees under Uhuru's regime.
His stellar performance makes him stand out and celebrated in all sectors.
