Ngilu defends decision to suspend housing managing director

Lands Cabinet Secretary Charity Ngilu was at pains trying to explain why National Housing Corporation (NHC) Managing Director Wachira Njuguna was suspended.

Ngilu and Njuguna appeared before the Parliamentary Transport Committee yesterday, but their submissions remained divergent.

Ngilu said the corporation’s performance declined to between 2013 and 2014.

Njuguna had served at the corporation for 21 months.

She said the NHC board raised concerns over the failure by the management to commence any new projects, adding that the corporation was dependent on projects which were launched before Njuguna took over.

“He has been in office for two years and has not started one single project. Is that the kind of officer you would want? Do you continue to keep a person who is not moving,” she asked.

However, Njuguna denied the allegations, saying he was able to finish several projects that had dragged for years.

“I have signed off 2,000 housing units, 600 of them in Kisumu, 40 in Kisii, 80 in Lang’ata, Nairobi and 1,080 in Mavoko,” he said.