Former Kenya Revenue Authority Commissioner General John Njiraini is among 11 people shortlisted for interviews for the position of chairman of National Land Commission (NLC).
Fifty others are slated for interviews as commissioners of the commission. There are eight vacancies for commissioners at the agency.
Politicians are also among those shortlisted after a court allowed their participation in the process.
Others shortlisted for the post of chairperson include lawyers Gerishom Otachi and Paul Musili, Mwenda Makathimo, Robert Kilimo, Humphrey Njuguna, Naomi Wagereka, Tiyah Galgalo, former Nyeri MP Esther Murugi and Hussein Farah.
Shortlisted candidates
The interviews start on Monday, July 29 for the chairperson’s position while those for the commissioner begin on July 30 up to August 2.
Among those shortlisted for commissioners’ position include Kombo Mweru, Omingo Magara, Alex Mwiru, Prof Gitile Naitula, Alice Yano, Welington Godo and Khadija Kasachoon.
Lawyer Katwa Kigen, Murshid Mohamed and former MPs Waweru Nderitu, Boniface Otsiula, Mong’are Okong’o, former Cabinet Secretary Kazungu Kambi and former Ethics and Anti-Corruption Commission vice chairperson Irene Keino have been shortlisted.
The shortlisted candidates will appear before a panel that was appointed to recruit a new team at the commission.
It includes Kennedy Kihara from Office of the President, former chair of National Construction Authority Steven Oundo, commercial and property law expert Esther Njiru Omulele, National Gender and Equality Commission member Priscilla Nyokabi and University of Nairobi don Mairura Omwenga.
They will thereafter shortlist two qualified applicants for the position of chairperson and 16 for members and forward to the President.
Upon the receipt of the names of successful applicants, the President, will within 14 days nominate the chairperson and eight members before forwarding the names to the National Assembly for vetting within 21 days.
If Parliament approves the names within seven days, they will be forwarded to the President for formal appointment through a Gazette within seven days.
The nine-member Muhamed Swazuri-led team completed its tenure at NLC on February 19, 2019 after the mandatory non-renewable six-year term.
The other commissioners are vice chairpeson Abigael Mbagaya, Samuel Tororei, Abdulkadir Adan Khalif, Tom Konyimbih, Silas Kinoti, Rose Mumbua, Muthoni Njogu and Clement Isaiah Lenachuru
The commission has been in the limelight over myriad of corruption claims especially on compulsory acquisitions of land and compensations for state projects.
On August 13, Prof Swazuri and 16 co-accused denied charges of conspiring to defraud the Government of Sh221.3 million.
