What I Have Learnt from the Sacking of Dennis Itumbi Which I think You Should Learn Too

Hacker, government ‘propagandist’, blogger, provacatuer and chapati lover are some of the titles that have been used to describe former Director of Digital Communication in the Office of the President Dennis Itumbi. This is a position he held until yesterday when he faced the axe.

After that Kenya’s social media went ablaze with all manner of information being peddled about the decision. Some celebrated his sacking, terming it deserved and well, expected. Some outright ridiculed him describing him as a bulldog that no longer had teeth to bite.  A few however, sympathized with the man from Embu and urged him on. That his predicament was just a small side step from his journey to greatness.

I watched all this hullaballoo from the sidelines and this is what I deduced from the whole thing; Valuable lessons that we should all adhere to.

First thing first, people are not very happy when your life is going well. When your career is souring and you are cashing in those huge cheques every month. When your relationship is blossoming and you just can’t get enough of each other. When you are rubbing shoulders with the high and mighty in society. Now especially when you rub it in their face by flaunting your success on social media and making all manner of outbursts, the more they will laugh and ridicule you when things start going south. So my advice, stay clear from social media, nothing good ever comes out of it.

Secondly, do your job. And I insist, do your job. Don’t get entrenched into the trappings that come with it and start focusing on the side shows. Those will never get you far. Also don’t assume your employer is never looking, trust me they are always alert, even though not directly but through their cronies. In Itumbi’s case for example, he forgot what his job description entailed and mostly focused on day to day online banter which led to him making quite a number of blunders which I suspect have cost him his job.

Thirdly, like the popular saying goes, which Kenyans recently invented; “salimianga watu kazi huisha”. Life is a cycle or a constant roller coaster so at one moment you are up and the next you are down. So remain humble and treat people accordingly, you might need them when sh*t hits the fan. Keep your friends close and maintain communication because they are the ones to come to your aid when everyone else has gone to the mountains. And with niceties like unliminet 20 by Airtel, communicating with friends and family has really been made easier. With only 20 bob, you are guaranteed 8 minutes talk time across any network, 20 MB of data and 20SMS’s. And of course free facebook, twitter and whatsapp. I mean what more could you need?

In addition, always have side hustles lined up just in case things go south. With all the money Itumbi was making, I would assume he has a mini market somewhere in Embu, a couple of taxis in Uber and at least a 3 storey flat with occupants.  It might not prevent him from falling but it will offer some cushion before he reorganizes himself and gets another job.

Lastly, treat a job as it is, it’s just a job. Don’t go out of your way for it at the expense of your reputation, your relationships and your health, it will not return the favour. In Itumbi’s case, not once or twice has he come off as the employers attack dog, biting and scratching only to be slumped with a dismissal.

Poor soul!