Outgoing Rift Valley Regional Commissioner Mohamed Ahmed Maalim has praised his colleagues in the civil service in his farewell message as he prepares to leave office.
In a memo to County Commissioners, police bosses, regional heads of departments and executives of state agencies, Mr Maalim lauded his fellow officers for what he termed as exemplary discharge of duty, taking into account his achievements during his one-year stint as the Regional Commissioner.
“My service to the people of our great Republic was possible through teamwork, coordinated strategies and collaborations. It was never about personal achievement, but a process of collective effort among colleagues and the people we serve,” he states in the dispatch.
The administrator also said he was humbled by the privilege to serve in the administrations of President Dr William Ruto and his predecessors Uhuru Kenyatta, the late Mwai Kibaki and the late Daniel Moi.
The soft-spoken administrator who before his elevation to Regional Commissioner in January 2022 was Makueni County Commissioner has for the past 28 years of stellar service risen through the ranks from a District Office-One to his current perch.
“My service to the people of our great Republic has hit 28 years of intense administrative duties, and without any doubt, I developed a very high sense of obligation to my professional calling, having risen through the cadres to where I stand today,” states the letter dated January 5,2023.
“I therefore wish to inform you that I’m in the process of exiting, and convey my heartfelt appreciation to all of you for the cooperation you extended to me in the line of duty. I thank you so much, and send my best wishes in your respective career progression. Please find it well to mentor the younger staff in our respective departments and agencies, for posterity,” he added.
Last week Interior CS Kithure Kindiki appointed eight new regional commissioners and recalled their predecessors to the Office of the President for redeployment.
The new regional commissioners are Dr Abdi Hassan (Rift Valley), Rhoda Onyancha (Coast), John Otieno (North Eastern), Paul Rotich (Eastern), Fredrick Shisia (Central), Samson Irungu (Western), Flora Mworoa (Nyanza) and Katee Mwanza (Nairobi).
While calling on the heads of departments and state agency executives to extend the same support to Dr Hassan, the outgoing administrator urged public servants to uphold the spirit of providing quality services to the people they are tasked to serve.
He advised senior public servants to mentor younger staff in their respective departments or agencies, for posterity. Mr Maalim lauded all the 14 county commissioners from the region for their counsel in making important decisions during his tenure terming them as highly skilled patriots.
Mr Maalim was appointed as the Rift Valley Regional Commissioner in January 2022, following the resignation of his predecessor Mr George Natembeya who successfully vied for the Trans Nzoia governor’s seat in the August 9, 2022 General Election.
Maalim’s elevation to a Regional Commissioner thrust him onto a bigger administrative role in a region known for cattle rustling, skirmishes over land, pasture and resources, and encroachment on forests and key water catchment areas.
Apart from banditry attacks and cattle rustling, the new regional commissioner Dr.Abdi Hassan will have to deal with perennial cattle rustling, land disputes and retrogressive cultures like female genital mutilation and early teenage pregnancies in counties like Nakuru, Baringo, Samburu, West Pokot, Laikipia, Narok and Kajiado.
Dr Hassan is expected to oversee various government projects, lead in the fight against illicit alcohol, which last year killed scores of people in Nakuru and Laikipia as well as find solutions to the recurrent banditry attacks in the North Rift region.
By Jane Ngugi
