Kosgei's long trek to the highest office

The road from a humble begining in the expansive Rift Valley province was tough. Full of potholes, twists and bends.Trying and frustrating from a community steepled in gender restogressive beliefs.

Dr. Sally Kosgei’s long trek to the highest office in the country’s civil service began 58 years ago when her devoutly Christian parents were blessed with a daughter. At that time when Kenyan nationalists were struggling to break the yokes of British colonial rule, retrogressive African traditional beliefs against daughters were rife.

Even getting an opportunity to go to school for education was still heavily frowned upon by many parents, perhaps apart from a few who had seen the light of the Lord and eschewed the value of equal education opportunities for their children.

“My parents were very religious and brought me up with my brothers and sisters in a religious environment with each of us children being looked at as equal to each other. We were accorded equal opportunities right from primary through secondary high school and university education,” says Dr. Kosgei.

Because of her highly natural intelligence dispensation, she was able to race through her primary, secondary and high school education non stop from the struggle for and immediate post independence period emerging with flying colors all round that landed her at the University of Dar es Salaam.

She recalled: “At that time life was very difficult. Roads were bad and vehicles un-reliable. Traveling from point A to B was a nightmare, especially for us girls who were determined to compete and best our male colleagues in education.”

She continued: “Even discrimination was there amongst churches to the extend that if you were from a Catholic family, you could not be admitted into and Anglican Church sponsored school. But we bested all those challenges.”

Dr. Kosgei a mother of four all grown up children with her husband Dr. Yusuf Nzimbo, began her career in the civil service soon after graduating from the university of Dar es Salaam where she had majored in international relations within the ministry of foreign affairs in the mid 1990s as a junior ministry official.

 “I joined the ministry when Dr. Munyua Waiyaki was minister in charge and he had been for a long time. That is when I began my career as a civil servant. Although I was ambitious and hard working, I never dreamed at that time that I will one day be the head of the civil service and secretary to the cabinet,” she said.

However, she is emphatic on keeping her family affairs private saying that though they supported her heavily through her challenging career in the civil service to the very top, it was their preference to keep the family members and issues private. “But they are my silent strength and backbone,” she added.

From a junior officer in the foreign ministry, when did Dr. Kosgei’s meteoric star begin to soar? With the ascending to power of retired president Daniel Arap Moi after the death of the founder of the nation, Jomo Kenyatta, Kosgei’s meteoric rise began.

Before her last public appointment in March 2001 when president Moi made her the first woman to hold the powerful post of head of public service and secretary to the cabinet, Dr Kosgei had held various other prominent positions in the government.

She is perhaps most famous for the period she served as permanent secretary in the ministry of foreign affairs, a post she was appointed to after having served as Kenya’s high commissioner at the prestigious court of St James, London.

Dr Kosgei’s appointment as foreign affairs PS made her the second woman to be appointed a PS in independent Kenya. The first to hold such a position was Mrs. Margaret Githinji who served as PS in the Ministry of trade and industry in the late 80s and early90s.

Incidentally, the relationship between the two women pioneers in public service was never cordial. They engaged in constant turf wars with Githinji accusing Kosgei of meddling in her docket especially when it came to foreign trade matters. Ultimately, Githinji lost her job under circumstances which she thought Kosgei had a hand in.

The other prominent lady to ascend to the PS slot in the Moi regime was Mrs. Elizabeth Masiga who was elevated to that post right from a high school principal to permanent secretary ministry of education until when she retired from the service.

Says Dr. Kosgei: “It was not easy rising through the ranks because of the inter-service challenges apart from those of dealing with foreign governments on international issues. Comparatively I enjoyed enormously my work at the ministry of foreign affairs than elsewhere where the challenges were even greater than I have met in my life.”

However, those who know Dr Kosgei closely say that she appeared more suited for the foreign affairs docket than any other public posting she has had save perhaps that of Kenya’s High Commissioner to the United Kingdom.

“She knew her stuff well and aggressively pushed Kenya’s agenda in international circles both as high commissioner and foreign affairs PS,” says and official who served with her at the Old Treasury Building, the present headquarters of the ministry of Foreign Affairs.

However when she was appointed PS to the treasury after the 1997 general elections to work with the then finance minister Simeon Nyachae, Kosgei appears to have been out of her depth. The suspicious relationship between her and her new boss-an equally strong headed personality just like her-did not help things and soon President Moi found himself having to choose between Nyachae and Kosgei. He chose to move Kosgei from the treasury in order to placate Nyachae and his political constituency.

As she revs to join politics in earnest, Kosgei has already proved her mettle by flooring Aldai constituency’s former MP, lawyer Jim Choge during the Orange Democratic (ADM) party nominations last month.

Compared to what she was used in the hierarchical world of civil service. In Aldai constituency she was struggling to unseat an incumbent-lawyer Jim Choge- who comes from a family with a long political history. That she emerged the winner, shows what a formidable force to reckon with that she is.

As Dr. Kosgei prepares to do the finale battle on December 27 she had this to say of the ODM presidential candidate, Raila Odinga: “ I have had the opportunity to work with Hon. Raila Odinga in various capacities. Our views on some issues have not always been in agreement. But I have come to respect his deep sense of judgement for the public good, his ability to absorb views contrary to those he holds, true team presence and high energy in delivering public services.”

She continued: “The need for these qualities in our leadership today could never be greater. I have also come to know his deep and genuine commitment to pursuit of equity for women in public affairs. I am confident that his administration will be good for the women of Kenya.”

She concluded: “Let me also assure you that Hon. Odinga was a true asset to this country during the 2002 transition. Unlike some of his colleagues on the winning side, he chose the path of reconciliation and not revenge. He pursued merit based changes in public appointments and not wholesale condemnation of those in public service then.”

Dr. Ksogei says that her biggest priority for Aldai constituency if she wins the general elections would be focus on improving not only the educational facilities at all levels but also enhancing its quality.

The other challenge she says will be to enhance the empowerment and development of women agendas and needs as well as building and strengthening youth training and employment.