Former Citizen TV editor joins Uhuru’s legacy PR unit

Former Royal Media Services Managing Editor Nixon Nganga has joined the President’s Delivery Unit in what is being seen as a big push by President Uhuru Kenyatta to ensure his efforts to leave a legacy when he leaves office in 2022 are effectively communicated to the public.

Nganga becomes the third journalist to join the unit in recent weeks following the recruitment of NTV business anchor Laban Cliff Onserio and Citizen TV business reporter and anchor Anne Mumbi Warui.

Nganga quit RMS in May having rejoined the media in August 2013 after a stint with the Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC) as manager, voter education. Initial reports indicated he was destined for the Lands ministry as part of Cabinet Secretary Farida Karoney’s communications team but this did not materialise.

Established in 2015, the President’s Delivery Unit, which is based in the Office the President, has the primary remit of improving the coordination of National Government flagship programmes, monitoring, evaluating and reporting on and the timely fulfillment of President Uhuru Kenyatta’s key development priorities.

The PDU is headed by Chief of Staff Nzioka Waita who is emerging as the foremost power broker at State House having taken charge of most presidential operations, including communications.

The PDU has recruited 45 individuals including former Buuri MP Boniface Kinoti and former Bomet aspirant Michael Rotich.

Both acting State House spokesperson Kanze Dena and PDU head Andrew Wakahiu however declined to comment on what informed the massive recruitment though it is being linked to delivery of the Big Four Agenda.

“These are presidential appointments and the person to respond is Kanze Dena and the Head of the President’s Delivery Unit, Nzioka Waita,” Wakahiu told the Star.

On her part, Dena said: “PDU is directly under the Head (sic) of Staff Nzioka Waita and I can’t comment on it.”

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However, according to the Star, contracts of the current team hired in 2015 have expired, but the government has not officially communicated if it will reassign the officials.

The newspaper also reports that Nexus – baptised 36 bloggers – based at the Deputy President William Ruto’s office – has also joined the PDU with one of them – Melkzadeck Ochenga – taking up the position of an assistant director.