Political scheming is to blame for the replacement of Caroline Mwende Mueke, Principal Secretary, State Department for Livestock Development Jonathan Mueke’s sister as the successor of East African Community (EAC)’ Secretary General Peter Mathuki, The County Times has learnt.
While she was nominated by President William Ruto during the International Women’s Day last month, the process to swear her on was supposed to start yesterday (Tuesday) only for the President through EAC Affairs Cabinet Secretary Peninah Malonza to abort the plans and instead nominated Veronica Mueni Nduva the Principal Secretary in the Department of Performance and Delivery Management in the Ministry of Public Service.
Malonza, in a letter dated 15 April 2024 to Deng Alor Kuol, South Sudan’s minister for EAC affairs and the current chairperson of the EAC Council of Ministers, Kenya gave no reasons for President William Ruto’s decision to appoint another candidate.
“Further to our letter of 15 March informing you of a presidential action nominating Ms Mwende for appointment as the new Secretary General by the Summit in accordance with the EAC Treaty, we are writing to inform you that the President of Kenya has amended the nomination of Ms Mwende for the position of EAC Secretary General,” said Ms Malonza in the letter.
Following her nomination, South Sudan’s minister for EAC affairs had called for the extraordinary summit that was scheduled to take place on Monday.
“I hereby notify you that President Salva Kiir has requested the Heads of States to hold an extra-ordinary Summit virtually on April 15, 2024, to be preceded by the EAC Council of Ministers session virtually on the same day to consider the appointment of Ms Caroline Mwende Mueke as the Secretary General of the East African Community,” the letter dated March 28, reads.
But her replacement letter was written a day before when the Council of Ministers were to meet to ratify Mueke’s name while on Thursday (tomorrow) the Head of State was to meet to approve Kenya’s nominee to pave the way for her swearing in ceremony 24 hours after the approval.
The County Times has learnt that she was never given the reasons for her replacement and was gearing up for her swearing in ceremony when she heard about the government’s sudden move.
Despite her excellent academic qualifications, the political class claimed she was replaced due to lack of experience while others cited political affiliation and geopolitics as the main cause of her replacement.
According to Makueni Senator Dan Maanzo, Nduva is more qualified to hold the EAC position ‘as it is more sensitive and someone who can handle serious politics’. He said he was apprehensive when Mueke was nominated but after her replacement, he became confident that Nduva will discharge her duties due to ‘her vast experience’.
“To be sincere, Nduva is more qualified than Mueke and I believe she first needs to be appointed Principal Secretary before appointed for the EAC position. This is not an office you send someone who is direct from school,” he told The County Times on phone.
Another source said, ‘The political intrigues degenerated into party affiliation and the fact that she is Mueke’s sister and that the position needed to be distributed to another area within the Akamba community and this was the idea behind her replacement.’
On her part, Ms Mueke told The County Times that she was honoured to have received the initial nomination and thanked the President for the position. “I extend my congratulations to PS Nduva, on my part I will continue serving the community in my current capacity at the United Nations,” she said.
She pursued her bachelor’s degree in international relations at United States International University, followed by a master’s in public administration and policy from New York University and is currently a PhD candidate in Public Administration at the University of South Africa.
She has 25 years of experience as an international development and policy expert having worked in various sectors such as development planning, peacebuilding, project management and policy advisory and management having worked in countries such as South Sudan, South Africa, Georgia, the Republic of North Macedonia, the United States of America and Kenya.
Before she was nominated as Secretary-General of the EAC, Mueke had been working as a senior political affairs officer and special adviser to the deputy special representative of the SG of the United Nations Mission in South Sudan where she was instrumental in developing strategies for the UN’s support to the implementation of the current peace agreement on the resolution of the conflict in the country, which was signed in 2018.
She has also served in other senior advisory and management roles serving in different advisory, policy and management roles and contexts at country, regional and global levels such as being a special advisor to the assistant SG and director for UNDP Africa, based in New York, from 2012-2015.
From 2007-2012, she worked for the UN Development Group in Johannesburg, South Africa, as a regional coordination advisor and head of the inter-agency secretariat where she was responsible for providing UN technical assistance in 22 countries in the Eastern and Southern Africa region.
From 2000-2007, she worked for UNDP’s Crisis Prevention Bureau in New York, as a Program Specialist responsible for Eastern Europe and Southern African countries.