A fresh power struggle is brewing at Kenya Railways, pitting Managing Director Philip Mainga against senior officials below him as competing interests unravel through legal battles.
This is geared towards seeking influence in the running of the State corporation and its future leadership.
The increasingly bitter contest has seen some junior and middle-level officials emerge at the centre of internal manoeuvres, with sources within the corporation alleging that factions are positioning themselves for greater influence as uncertainty over Mainga’s tenure persists.
At the heart of the dispute are General Managers Leparan Tialal, in charge of Corporate Services, and Hashim Hussein, who heads Strategic Planning.
Their growing influence has reportedly unsettled sections of the Kenya Railways management, with claims that the two officials have become key players in a wider succession contest.
The developments come at a delicate moment for Mainga, whose tenure has been challenged in court over questions surrounding the length and legality of his term.
Mainga was appointed Kenya Railways Managing Director on February 3, 2020, for a three-year term.
His tenure was subsequently extended, but the extensions have triggered legal questions over whether he can continue occupying the office.
A recent petition challenging his continued stay in office was withdrawn after the petitioner’s lawyers filed a notice of withdrawal.
The withdrawal came shortly after interim orders had temporarily barred Mainga from exercising some of his functions.
The legal challenge has nevertheless exposed what insiders describe as deep divisions within the corporation.
Junior officials gaining influence
Sources familiar with the internal wrangles say the contest is no longer confined to the boardroom, with officials below the Managing Director increasingly playing a role in determining the direction of Kenya Railways.
Tialal, who has risen through the corporation’s management ranks, is among the officials whose name has featured prominently in the unfolding power struggle.
Hussein, meanwhile, has also attracted attention because of his strategic position within the corporation.
He joined Kenya Railways from the Kenyatta International Convention Centre, where he served as director of corporate planning.
His position in charge of strategic planning places him at the centre of important policy and operational discussions within the corporation.
Insiders claim that the growing influence of such officials has created unease at the top, with different camps allegedly attempting to consolidate their positions ahead of any eventual change in leadership.
The internal contest has increasingly taken the form of a succession battle, with individuals perceived to be positioning themselves for the corporation’s top job.
Mainga’s continued occupation of the Managing Director’s office has become the focal point of the dispute.
The latest court challenge, filed by Joan Nyongesa, questioned whether his initial three-year term, which began on February 3, 2020, expired in February 2023.
The petitioner also questioned the subsequent three-year period reportedly running from February 2023 to February 2026.
She argued that the State Corporations Act does not provide for another term or reset the statutory limit governing the tenure of a chief executive.
The case was withdrawn after the petitioner’s lawyers issued a notice of withdrawal, bringing the immediate legal challenge to an end.
With the case no longer proceeding, Mainga is free to resume his executive duties.
But the withdrawal has done little to extinguish the wider contest surrounding his leadership.
Battle for control
The emerging struggle illustrates the difficult balance facing State corporations where senior managers below the chief executive wield significant influence over operations, procurement, planning and administration.
At Kenya Railways, the stakes are particularly high because of the corporation’s strategic role in passenger transport, freight logistics and management of major railway infrastructure.
A leadership contest involving senior officials risks distracting the corporation from its core responsibilities and undermining confidence among employees and stakeholders.
Sources say some officials are increasingly concerned about what they describe as attempts by different camps to gain control of key functions and influence the succession process.
There are also allegations that external actors have been drawn into the dispute through petitions and legal proceedings aimed at exerting pressure on the current leadership.
The claims, however, require independent verification and should not be treated as established facts.
The Kenya Railways board is now faced with the challenge of containing the internal tensions while ensuring that succession and management decisions are handled within the law.
The board will also have to address concerns that an increasingly open power struggle could affect morale among employees and interfere with the corporation’s operations.
For Mainga, the latest developments present a new challenge: maintaining authority over an institution where some officials below him are increasingly perceived as having their own ambitions and competing centres of influence.
The contest is therefore no longer simply about Mainga’s tenure.
It is increasingly about who controls Kenya Railways, who influences the board and who will have the strongest claim to lead the corporation when the current leadership chapter eventually comes to an end.
For now, Mainga remains in office.
But as the battle for influence moves deeper into the management structure, the biggest test may be whether Kenya Railways can keep its internal power struggles from overshadowing its mandate to run one of the country’s most strategic public institutions.
