he appearance of Erastus Mwema Makali on the official list of SHA County Operations Managers, appointed to serve in Kajiado County, has ignited serious political questions questions that go beyond qualifications and cut straight to loyalty, integrity, and nepotism.Erastus Mwema Makali is the son of Kitui Central MP Makali Mulu, a senior figure elected on a Wiper Party ticket. His appointment under President William Ruto’s UDA-led administration has intensified suspicion among voters who are now openly questioning where Makali Mulu’s political loyalty truly lies.For months, critics have accused the MP of playing a double game professing loyalty to Wiper in public while quietly cultivating links with UDA behind the scenes. This appointment has only reinforced those doubts. To many, it looks less like coincidence and more like political compensation, a reward for cooperation or silence.While defenders of the MP argue that his son has a right to seek public employment, this argument misses the bigger picture. Politics is not judged only by legality, but by patterns and intent. In a country plagued by elite capture, appointments involving close family members of sitting politicians raise legitimate red flags especially when they come from a rival political camp.To Wiper voters in Kitui and beyond, the message is deeply unsettling: if Makali Mulu cannot draw a clear line between public office and personal benefit now, what happens if he is entrusted with greater power? This appointment is being read as an early warning sign that, if elected to higher office, he may normalize nepotism, reward political proximity, and entrench family interests in public institutions.Kenya’s history offers painful lessons. Leaders who blur party loyalty and personal gain rarely stop at one appointment. What begins as “just a job” often mutates into a culture of favoritism, where access replaces merit and bloodlines matter more than competence.Voters are therefore right to be alarmed. This is not merely about one SHA position in Kajiado it is about character, consistency, and credibility. Public office is a trust, not an inheritance.As the next election cycle approaches, constituents must ask themselves a hard question.

Can a leader who benefits from cross-party patronage be trusted to defend the interests of those who elected him? The appointment of Makali’s son has made that question unavoidable.