Outgoing Uasin Gishu Governor Jackson Mandago has credited his administration’s good performance for the last ten years to a dedicated public service.
Mandago, first elected in 2013, has served for two terms which come to an end on August 25, 2022, as he hands over to the new governor Jonathan Bii Chelilim alias Koti Moja.
But before the swearing-in ceremony, the outgoing county boss on Wednesday, August 24, 2022, addressed his last staff meeting, during which he said he was proud of them.
“I am a very proud governor because, with your dedication, we have been able to make a difference in this county,” Mandago said.
The governor, now the Uasin Gishu Senator-elect, admitted that at times he was hard on the staff – but said all was meant to ensure delivery of services to the people.
“Si hata nyinyi staff nili wa terrorize? But you can see what you have achieved. I am proud of you. In that quest to deliver services, we had to do what we did,” Mandago told the staff at the county headquarters’ grounds in Eldoret town.
He noted that following the successes that his administration recorded in the last 10 years, the county has been a host to many other devolved units that were visiting for benchmarking.
“That will not have been possible if we did not have a dedicated service,” he said.
Best Deputy Governor
In the two terms that Mandago has been in power, he stuck with his deputy – Daniel Chemno.
And while some counties saw the governor and their deputy fight, such scenarios were never witnessed in Uasin Gishu.
The outgoing governor has now described Chemno as the best deputy governor in Kenya, predicting that his future is bright.
He also revealed that his deputy played a role in developing the Kenya Kwanza manifesto.
In a recent interview with Uasin Gishu News, the deputy governor said as he hands over to his successor, he will be continuing to spread the gospel of diversification – even when not holding any public office.
Man of experience
And concerning his successor – Koti Moja, Mandago described him as a man of experience.
He dismissed fears that the new governor has no basic know-how about public service.
“I want to challenge those who for some reason have always thought that he (Koti Moja) is not an experienced man that he has been in public service for 20 years and I am confident matters staff will be properly handled,” Mandago said.
“We are handing over to a pair of safe hands,” he added.
