E-Clips:- Business Pictorial - Who's Next After Suspended PSs?

The decision to dump Permanent Secretaries Joseph Magari and Sylvester Mwaliko over the controversial Sh2.7 billion passports contract may have been a bold one. What is certain to puzzle the circle of the Presidents men is when they discover this is not going to be treated as the end of the matter.

The reactions have been quite interesting. Everybody seems to agree the move was a necessary one. But the praise is being heavily qualified. The critics are asking: Why is-so-and-so being left out?

It is plain the hidden knives are itching to target Finance Minister Daudi Mwiraria. A letter of authorisation he signed has been leaked and is already in circulation. It sure puts the minister in a spot. A local TV station reports that when they quizzed the minister about it, he replied that he was "misled." Sadly for him, Mr Mwiraria could soon find out that this excuse will not mollify the growing horde of foes.

Yet Mr Mwiraria is only one of the big fish the critics are targetting. There is one group demanding a closer look at Vice-President Moody Awori, who is responsible for the immigration docket. Mr Awori is the only official on record to have publicly defended the passports deal. He recently read out in Parliament a personal statement to this effect which was written on government letter-head.

More interestingly, there are growing murmurs that the role the Office of the President may have played in the matter be given attention. The target of this group, of course, is Dr Chris Murungaru.

One of the more curious responsibilities Dr Murungaru has in his docket is that of chairman of a cabinet sub-committee dealing with a new-fangled concept called E-Government (electronic government). In plain language it is about Information Technology and its application to government.

Also, Dr Murungaru is the National Security Minister and the passports contract was security-related. It could have been in either capacity that he was tagged to be the one to make the official announcement that the government was suspending the passports contract.

The local TV station that had talked about Mr Mwirarias authorisation letter went on to report that Mr Mwiraria, Dr Murungaru and Mr Kiraitu Murungi had been summoned to State House this week over the passports deal.

Mr Murungis connection to the saga could be because he heads another cabinet sub-committee on anti-corruption. Much as it is assumed Ethics and Governance Permanent Secretary John Githongo is an autonomous figure, he actually is answerable to Mr Murungi.

There is also the other aspect whereby before any government contract is signed, it has to be okayed by the governments legal arm. That strictly and obviously is the function of the Attorney-Generals chambers, though from time to time you are bound to hear about how the A-Gs office has been reduced to an appendage of Mr Murungis ever-widening fiefdom.

The contract was supposed to cover a comprehensive, high-security, computerised immigration control and management system. It was to replace a much less elaborate upgrade of passport issuance which was to cost Sh800 million.

Amidst the murky affair a number of questions are being raised. Is it true that the proposed contract would overlap with another security and identification system being underwritten at our key airports by the Americans?

What I do know is that the Americans, with their current fixation with terrorism, have identified Kenya among other countries which they are equipping to tighten security at their airports. The crucial thing to note is that the Americans are doing it for free. They wont charge us a penny.

What is not clear is to what extent, if any, the American-driven project overlaps with the other one. Officials say that the Americans are confining themselves to providing equipment which is different from what the cancelled project required. Again, it is pointed out that they are concentrating mainly on airports like Nairobis Jomo Kenyatta, not with the myriad land and sea entry-exit points in the country. Its odd that for a country with such garrulous diplomats like America, they have chosen to keep quiet as all manner of imputations circulate.

Mr Githongo is right now the man with the leash. Within certain government circles, you will hear him being derided as "naive" and as somebody who keeps the wrong company in the media, of all places. It is no surprise that many officials are anxious to speed up the planned shifting of his office from State House to its next designated home, Maendeleo House in the city centre.