Here we go again. Another Friday, another Kenya Gazette notice that reads like a guest list for a private party you weren’t invited to. President Ruto and his Cabinet have released the February 13, 2026, list of appointments, and surprise, surprise - it’s mostly the same names we’ve been hearing since the last solar eclipse. They’re calling it “ensuring institutional memory,” but in this city, we know that’s just a polite way of saying they’re not done eating yet. From the Capital Markets to the Dairy Board, the seats are being warm-booted for another three years of the status quo.

Ugas Mohamed stays at the CMA, and Sally Njambi Mahihu keeps her grip on the Kenya Investment Authority. You have to wonder what these people have actually “invested” in besides their own longevity. We’re told this reinforces “confidence,” but whose confidence are we talking about? Certainly not the small-scale trader in Gikomba or the youth watching their meager savings evaporate under “regulated” schemes. It’s a closed loop - a feedback session where the elites tell each other they’re doing a great job while the economy continues its slow-motion car crash.

Let’s talk about that “institutional memory” for a second. We’ve seen exactly what that memory produces in this country. Remember the South C Building Collapse? That’s the end result when “continuity” means keeping the same negligent inspectors and corrupt regulators in power for decades. When the people at the top of agencies like the Sacco Societies Regulatory Authority (SASRA) - where Jack Ranguma is sticking around until 2029 - prioritize “stability” over actual accountability, it’s the ordinary Kenyan who ends up buried under the rubble of state-sanctioned incompetence.

Then there’s the agricultural sector, which is being treated like a retirement home for the politically connected. The Kenya Dairy Board is being packed with reappointments like a carton of long-life milk. Genesio Mugo and his squad of seven are back for more. If the dairy industry is so well-regulated, why are farmers still crying about milk prices while the middlemen get fat? It’s the same story in every sector: the regulatory framework is a net that only catches the small fish while the sharks move through the holes with a government-issued pass.

Of course, they threw in a few “new” faces to keep the optics from looking too dusty. Rebecca Ghati Maroa gets a seat at the National Government Affirmative Action Fund (NGAAF), and Professor Mary Akinyi Otieko takes over the Kenya School of Law. But in a system where “National Assembly approval” is a rubber-stamping exercise faster than a matatu flying through a red light, these “new” faces are usually just the next layer of the same political dynasties. Whether it’s Makueni or the newly minted City of Eldoret, the game remains the same: reward the loyalists and keep the Gazette printers busy.

At the end of the day, these appointments aren’t about service delivery; they’re about securing the perimeter before the next election cycle. By the time these terms end in 2029, the rot will have settled even deeper into the foundation of our public institutions. We’re being sold “stability” while the ground shifts under our feet. But hey, as long as the “experienced administrators” are happy at the high table, who cares about the rest of us? Welcome to the 2026 edition of Kenyan Musical Chairs - where the music never stops for the right people.