Machakos Governor Wavinya Ndeti on Monday sacked Education CEC Philip Mutua Kilonzo, barely a month after reassigning him from the Lands docket in a cabinet reshuffle.
In a statement, the county boss said the move was necessitated by a performance review which concluded that Kilonzo was performing below expectations.
“I reviewed his performance and came to the conclusion that it is untenable for him to continue holding office of CEC-M,” read the statement in parts.
Governor Ndeti further stated that the decision was also informed by the need to uphold high standards of service to the citizens of Machakos County.
Following the change, Mutua’s docket was re-assigned to the CEC in charge of Roads and Transport, Consolata Mutisya.
In the statement, the Governor did not mention whether she will make another appointment to fill the Roads and Transport docket imminently. It is expected that Mrs. Mutisya will hold the two positions in the interim.
Governor Ndeti’s move to crack the whip on the high-ranking official comes barely a month after effecting a cabinet reshuffle on September 20, 2023, that saw several ministers and chief officers transferred to other dockets.
During the reshuffle, Governor Ndeti moved Kilonzo from the Lands docket to the Education.
This means that the CEC will be vacating the position barely a month into the job.
Kilonzo becomes the second CEC to exit Wavinya’s Cabinet after the former Youth, Sports, and Gender CEC-M, Onesimus Muasya tendered his resignation to pursue other interests.
Notably, during various political events, Governor Ndeti has not shied away from reiterating the stance that she will not hesitate from purging non-performing staff.
“Machakos voters are our bosses and all county government workers including myself are answerable to them. I will not sit and watch as things go wrong. Even if it means somebody going home, so shall it be,” Wavinya noted.
