Nairobi News

Lamu Governor Issa Timamy, has been named acting party leader of Amani National Congress (ANC) party.

This comes after President William Ruto’s appointment of Musalia Mudavadi as the Prime Cabinet Secretary and his resignation from that position.

In a communication by secretary general Simon Gikuru, Timamy had been nominated to take leadership of the party by its Council Bureau.

“The ANC Council Bureau has since nominated Hon. Governor Issa Abdallah Timamy as the acting Party leader in accordance with the ANC party constitution,” he said.

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“The ANC Party Wishes H.E Mudavadi God’s blessings in his service as Prime Cabinet Secretary and heartily welcomes Gov. Issa Timamy into his new role as party leader.”

Before taking over the party’s reins, Timamy was one of Mudavadi’s five deputy party leaders at ANC. He graduated from the University of Nairobi School of Law.

Timamy spent many years in Nairobi working as the Sameer Group of Companies’ director and company secretary.

He was named chairman of the National Museums of Kenya’s board of directors in 2005; he left that position in 2012 to enter politics.

He heads the commercial legal firm Timamy and Company Advocates in Mombasa. The statement came a day after parliament approved the names forwarded by President Ruto for vetting.

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Mudavadi’s resignation is in line with article 77 (2) of the constitution, which restrains any appointed State officer from holding office in a political party.

The constitution also prohibits a state officer from holding any other form of employment.

“A full-time State officer shall not participate in any other gainful employment,” reads article 77 of the constitution.

Mudavadi has been at the helm of the ANC since its formation in 2015. He led the party in two elections, with the first being in 2017 when ANC was a signatory party of the now moribund National Super Alliance.

Mr Mudavadi, now in his 33rd year in Kenyan politics, has served in Cabinet for a cumulative 18 years.

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The dockets he has headed include Agriculture, Finance, Transport, Information and Broadcasting, Supplies and Marketing, and Local Government. He has also served as Vice-President and Deputy Prime Minister.

The ANC leader’s most recent position in government was as the Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Local Administration in the Grand Coalition government and as a Sabatia MP in the 10th parliament, which ended in 2013.

Mr. Mudavadi served as Kenya’s 7th Vice-President for 52 days, making him the VP with the shortest term to hold the position.

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