The position of Minister, now referred to as Cabinet Secretary after the promulgation of the 2010 Constitution, is among the top five senior jobs in the government.
Getting the job requires having the right qualifications, being strategic, and, in some instances, lobbying. It takes a lot of work to land the role, which has seen most officeholders do their best to stay there for months or years.
However, some circumstances and situations are out of our control, such as sickness and accidents, that could shorten one's term, like what happened to Ahmed Khalif, former Minister of Labour, who served barely 20 days.
Khalif was appointed Labour Minister in 2003 after the late Mwai Kibaki formed government following his victory in the 2002 general election.
At the time of his appointment, he was the most senior politician from Wajir. Khalif's appointment expressed optimism that the late President Kibaki was keen on enhancing regional balance in government appointments.
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Khalif was the only Minister from the Northeastern region, making him a man to watch. However, on 4 January 2003, barely 20 days after his appointment, Khalif died after being involved in a plane crash in Busia.
Khalif had traveled with other senior leaders for a function in Busia county; however, on their way back to Nairobi, their plane, a 24-seater Gulfstream, failed to gain sufficient height, reportedly since the airstrip had a short runway.
The failure to gain sufficient height saw the plane hit two houses and a power line.
Two pilots; Sammy Mungai and Abdikadir Kuto also died after the crash. Three other ministers on the plane, Martha Karua, Raphael Tuju, and Jebii Kilimo, sustained injuries.
Khalif was rushed to hospital but died shortly after his arrival. The Kenya Yearbook reports that he was the shortest-serving Minister in the late President Kibaki's administration and perhaps in Kenya's history.
Before joining politics, Khalif, a journalist by profession and an alumni of Nairobi School and the University of Nairobi, had worked for the government as an information officer and the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) as a journalist.
Following his demise, a by-election was held where his son Mohammed Khalif, who was then 23 years old, was elected MP and later appointed Assistant Minister.
The late Khalif's family filed a case in court seeking compensation for the former minister's death, but it was dismissed in 2009 because it was time-barred.
Over the years, the North Eastern region has recorded an increased number of appointees in Cabinet; for instance, the late Yusuf Haji served as Defence Minister, Aden Duale served in the same capacity but is now CS for Environment, and Ukur Yattani from Marsabit served as CS Finance among others.
