MWAMISI: Nzioka Waita is Machakos people's project not State House's

Society should always hope and pray that meritocracy allows the very best brains and talent to rise to the top.

In  society where, indeed, the cream does rise naturally to the top, the very best are able to apply their imagination to lead assured and fast progress.

A brilliant lawyer who has substantive knowledge and experience in communication and technology having held important positions in Safaricom PLC, where he worked for over 17 years.

Nzioka Waita is an important asset and opportunity for the people of Machakos.

He can provide top-notch leadership to Machakos and elevate it to glorious levels in development, in Kenya and internationally.

The President's chief of staff is essentially the man responsible for oversight of all policy development, and one who directs and manages daily tasks and staff activity.

He is the coordinator of communication between the President’s office and other departments and Executive agencies. That is not the work of an average mind.

In Kenya, such jobs would ordinarily be reserved for people of the President’s tribe, but Nzioka uniquely transcended this. He is an inspiration for the people of Machakos, especially the young, because he embodies breakthrough — the possibility that anyone can succeed in society with dedication in school and hard work and positivity in the workplace.

His rise to become the President’s right-hand man was purely based on merit. Uhuru poached him from Safaricom in 2018, where he had worked since 2001.

Machakos county’s proximity to Nairobi city makes it a natural focus for development but that comes with a great pressure to ensure that development is delivered with meticulous planning, otherwise, we will be left with an inevitable mess.

President Uhuru Kenyatta, who was frustrated by political shenanigans and wanted a break from ineptitude, slovenliness, and a superficial approach in the management of Big Four agenda projects, turned to the results oriented Nzioka to reorganise and strategise. The results are visible not only for the people of Machakos but for Kenyans to see.

To have the dynamic growth of enterprises, entrepreneurship and job creation, Machakos will have to embrace technology faster and leadership in this will be extremely critical.

Nzioka has proven he is a great worker. When Uhuru could not see progress with the people he had trusted, he turned to outstanding merit.

The success of Safaricom is not a mystery, and as corporate affairs director Nzioka had provided strategic leadership to that organisation.

Machakos needs a chief executive, a non-politician and one who is totally detached from the tradition of corruption and shenanigans spanning more than 10 years now. It is important for Machakos to avoid masters of deceit, debilitating corruption, and cinematics to fully enjoy the fruits of devolution.

Sadly, over the past few years, very little has been done and the county is littered with white elephants and fake projects publicised at the expense of hard-earned taxpayers’ money.

Certainly, the people of Machakos would be able to sleep a little more soundly knowing that a capable son and leader is at the helm of their county. They will benefit immensely from Nzioka’s brilliant managerial skills and business acumen.

The Konza techno-city project, which had been moving at snail’s pace but is lately taking good shape, can certainly profit from the meticulous understanding and scrutiny of Nzioka, as it lies partly in Machakos.

His loyalty to his community led him to lose some important friends in State House as he was said to influence the appointment of Inspector General of Police Hillary Mutyambai and Kenya Railways boss Philip Mainga. Given the opportunity, holding the hand of your people is a crucial thing.

His determination to defeat Covid-19 had him involved in the largely successful intervention against the destructive virus. Once criticised online for celebrating free hand sanitiser that the government had organized for the public, Nzioka is now proven right as it is the little details that have helped people all over the world triumph over Covid-19.

Nzioka is at the level of Prof Anyang’ Nyong’o, who as Planning minister, developed a blueprint that enabled former President Mwai Kibaki’s government to develop the infrastructure and put the country on the right economic footing. These are the sons the country sends for cutting-edge education overseas, who work hard, and who return to give Kenyan society a quantum leap.

As a motor enthusiast, Nzioka is the man who might be able to deliver the Formula One track, which the current governor audaciously promised but without the first clue how to achieve it. It is not beyond Nzioka though, because these dreams take what he has — passion, realistic vision, experience, and ability.

He has worked his way up, has a clean record of management of public resources despite having sat at the table where the national cake is distributed.

The cream is rising to the top and the people of Machakos have the chance to take a little lick as it does so!

Nzioka is not a State House project. Nzioka is a project for the people of Machakos and if they want to enjoy the real benefits of 21st century development, they would be well advised to seize it.

(Edited by V. Graham)