Integrity questions stalk top appointees in Nakuru County

Nakuru; Kenya: Governor Kinuthia Mbugua is on the spot as doubts persist over the suitability of some of his appointees to serve in the Nakuru County Assembly.

Since last year, the county has been on the spotlight after it emerged that some top official serving in the executive had questionable academic qualifications, or were being investigated over integrity issues. One of the ministers was forced to step down after it was established that his degree certificate was fake. The case is pending before the High Court in Nakuru.

And recently, the recent appointment of Dr Daniel Mungai Kabii as Health minister brought into sharp focus the capacity of the assembly and the Public Service Board to vet senior officials to serve in crucial dockets. Early last week, the assembly adopted a report by the Vetting and Appointment Committee that cleared Mungai amid uproar over integrity issues.

Prior to the adoption of the report and his subsequent swearing in on Tuesday, an MCA had alerted the House that Mungai had, at one time, deserted duty while working at the Embu Provincial General Hospital, prompting the Medical Services ministry to withhold his salary.

Mungai becomes the second senior official to be appointed by Mbugua to serve in the Health department despite objection over his suitability. Early this year, the Nakuru Human Rights Network moved to court to stop the appointment of Dr Joseph Lenai as the Director of Public Health Services, claiming he was unfit to hold public office.

The petition, filed at the High Court in Nakuru under a certificate of urgency through lawyer Charles Munene for the organisation, come at a time the county faced complaints over irregular appointment of 13 directors. Mbugua had to suspend the exercise to allow the board to verify the academic credential of the applicants.

Impeached Motion

Mungai’s appointment came at a time the assembly is also questioning the suitability of the county executive for Lands, Rachael Maina. Maina is facing an impeachment Motion filed by Biashara Ward Rep Stephen Kuria who accuses her incompetence.

Kuria has met the one-third threshold of collecting signatures required to impeach Maina before tabling the notion of no confidence against her. Speaker Susan Kihika has appointed five MCAs to look into the allegations against Maina. The committee is expected to come up with a report in two weeks. The team comprises Paul Chebor (Solai ward), Peter Nderitu (Bahati ward), Jonathan Warothe (Hell’s Gate), Irene Paul (nominated) and Monica Gitau (Murindati).

“There will be a special house session to look into the findings of the committee in the next 10 days,” the Speaker ruled. Maina declined to comment on the matter, choosing to allow the team to carry out investigation into the allegations.

Job suitability

It was not the first time issues related to Maina’s suitability to serve were being raised. Early in the year, the Ethics and Anti-Corruption Commission (EACC) confirmed it was investigating her in connection with grabbed public land in Nyandarua County when she was serving at the Ministry of Lands, Department of Settlement.

On Mungai, documents were tabled before the Vetting and Appointment Committee chaired by Kihika and later on the floor of the House, where questions arose over his suitability to serve in the crucial docket due to his previous employment record.

Three letters dated April 22, May 24 and July 3, 2013, showed Mungai had been suspended from duty on account of desertion and his salary stopped.

The May 24 letter written by Mr Nahasion Thiong’o for the PS, Medical Services, to Mungai stated that he deserted duty at Machakos District Hospital without permission or reasonable cause. Another letter dated April 22 by J.W. Thuku for the Provincial Director of Medical Services, Eastern Province, showed that his salary had been stopped over the same reasons.

According to Hansard records of the proceedings of the Vetting and Appointment Committee,    the issue was raised by a member but the chair of the panel dismissed it on grounds the petition was not formally presented.

During the special sitting of the assembly that unanimously approved the appointment of Mungai, the issue was raised again by Olkaria Ward MCA Peter Pallanga but was brushed off by members.

The Ethics and Anti-Corruption Commission is currently investigating members of the Public Service Board over various corruption allegations related to the board’s operations.

The investigators were called in following allegations of bribery lodged against the seven-member board mandated to carry out hiring of staff. The board is also being investigated over claims of double sourcing of a health insurance policy of members, misuse of vehicles besides irregular imprest claims.

The County Public Service Board through Mr Peter Mbae, who chairs the Communication Committee, said the issue was never raised during the vetting.

“We were given a list of five applicants to interview. We did check on the generic areas but not professional posting,” he said. Mbae said the board was never aware of any objections via a petition by any member of the public on the suitability of Mungai. Until his appointment, Mungai was a registrar at the orthopedic surgery department at the Moi Teaching and Referral Hospital.

The Health docket had been vacant but held in acting capacity by the Deputy Governor Joseph Ruto.

Vetted and approved

Speaking after the swearing in, Governor Mbugua noted his satisfaction with Mungai’s appointment. “I am happy that the assembly vetted and approved the nominee, I give you the assurance that my government will give you the necessary support to deliver effectively to the people of Nakuru,” he said.He added that the appointment was a step towards cementing the objective and vision of the county and that he was confident Mungai, as a professional, can be entrusted to meet expectations of the public.

Meanwhile, the county has also been accused of failing to observe the ethnic diversity rule in public employment. The National Cohesion and Integration Commission (NCIC) has accused the county of focusing on dominant tribes in the region while ignoring other tribes.

As a result of the skewed employment practices, there have been complaints that minority groups have been excluded from county level decision-making and allocation of resources.

“The citizens have not been fairly represented in county employment positions as espoused by the various legal provisions,” according to a draft report on the County Ethnic Audits.