Ms Noellah Musundi Former Communication Director, Nairobi County
There is sudden curiosity on who exactly is Noellah Musundi, the Director of Communication appointed by Governor Kidero but served City Hall for just seven days before being sent on leave. My city hall and political moles confirm the high voltage political uproar from a section of CORD bigwigs and “Team Kidero” who swore to block the competent and tough lady from assuming the new office.
As the soap opera unfolded, the former but now current Director of Communication Walter Mong’are aka Nyambane had been suspended due to incompetence and failure to submit his academic papers.
Senior City Hall sources whisper Nyambane never graduated from Kenyatta University which is now public knowledge, making him a lucky Form 4 leaver to head such a senior docket and enjoying benefits of Job Group “S” meant for the Chief of Staff and Chief Officers at the county level.
Same sources reveal Nyambane’s full disclosure to Governor Kidero regarding his shaky academic qualifications, but the Governor went ahead with the appointment despite contrary advice from his advisors.
I am informed of the affirmative decision and plan by Kidero and the Public Service Board to let go Nyambane, necessitating the appointment of Ms Noellah Musundi who was formerly the Director of Communications in Bungoma County. She was deemed competent and experienced, as she holds a Master in Communication from The University of Nairobi and Degree in Journalism from The United States International University (USIU), coupled with experience in Media and Communication.
It is understood she was a powerhouse in Bungoma county, and by virtue of being a younger sister to the wife of Water CS Eugene Wamalwa, many saw her as a Jubilee mole and force that could have displaced some character at Kidero’s high table due to her value addition.
For instance, one of the CORD Principals,Bungoma Senator Moses Wetangula who also is salivating for the gubernatorial seat, insisted on Jubilee’s plan to position moles in strategic offices as we head to the general elections, convincing Kidero that Musundi was one of them, and therefore a danger to the CORD’s strategy and confidential information. The situation escalated when Water CS Wamalwa declared his interest in the Nairobi Gubernatorial seat.
Walter Nyambane, the just reinstated Nairobi County’s Communication Director
It’s understood the forces forced Governor Kidero to hammer the last nail on Musundi’s coffin leading to the reinstatement of Nyambane in a bid to appease the Kisii voters in Nairobi. How this will translate into ballot power is a move most are still debating about. We hope Kidero made the right decision and Nairobians will soon witness interactive and strategic communication from his team.
It’s unfortunate this is a scenario being experienced by most young professionals despite the national and county governments promise to empower the youth. Apart from sexual bargaining young women and young people are faced with such a like challenges.
I’ve witnessed similar circumstances where the President came to the rescue of the oppressed. If I were the president or closely positioned in the Jubilee government, the same Miss Musundi is accused of being its mole, and i’d rush to tap can absorb her and utilise her competence or even give her a new diplomatic start outside Kenya considering the excruciating experience she is undergoing.
I also find it rather insulting and restricting to the growth of modern woman and independence that Wetangula used his close links with Kidero to block ways for a lady who’s career was just picking up just to settle whichever scores they might have had when she was working in Bungoma County for the Governor as the Communications Director where also Wetangula happens to be the Senator.
Why are men making life unbearable for women? Let me educate Moses a bit as a communications professional, our relationship with the client is more of a lawyer, client one, there’s nothing personal. No fossils are moved in or out. We practice most secrecy and work to deliver for the immediate customer.
The joke is on Kidero who took in Wetangula’s advice to send out a lady who instead would’ve salvaged his career. From my moles in Statehouse corridors, Wetangula himself is fighting for a place in Jubilee to be considered for the Gubernatorial seat alongside Wamalwa.
Kidero’s communication strategies in the past years given the controllership of a non-professional and underperformer, a form four leaver Walter Monga’re has been underwhelming with poor communication links. I’m informed Kidero’s choice of reinstating Walter is from the desperation to tap into the Kisii voting block in the County.
One wonders how many votes Walter can gunner for Kidero.
Latest polls have been ranking Kidero at a steady number two for the coming elections a worrying trend since new entrants as Wamalwa are causing serious ripples and set to change the scenes in the coming months.
Kidero has felt threatened and insiders telling me he’s genuinely scared he might lose the seat to Jubilee who are hell bent to capture the luxurious seat. In the past two months, Kidero has embarked on a serious social media campaign to fight for his space after an extended period of shadow existence in the social media streets.
Coincidentally, my moles at City Hall reveal to me that it was again Miss Musundi who coined the strategy to have an impacting social media presence and initiated the campaigns that before didn’t occur.
In a County where almost 70% of the population actively consume news online, only a destined loser will opt to overlook the use of social media to campaign as the dates nears.
Will Nyambane do miracles in the next few months to the elections that he wasn’t able to deliver in the three years of service, given space, communication is a critical campaign department to any politician, and one would not dare gamble but put close to the heart a competent and delivering communications team.
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