Ex- KRA boss Njiraini shortlisted for position of NLC Chair

Former KRA Commissioner General John Njiraini shortlisted as NLC chairperson.

Immediate former KRA Commissioner General John Njiraini is among 11 people shortlisted for interviews for the position of chairman of the National Land Commission (NLC).

Fifty others are slated for interviews as commissioners of the commission. There are eight vacancies for commissioners at the agency.

Others who have been shortlisted for the chairperson position 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.

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 include Kombo Mweru, Omingo Magara, Alex Mwiru, Prof Gitile Naitula, Alice Yano, Welington Godo and Khadija Kasachoon.

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 (OP), former chair of National Construction Authority Arch. Steven Oundo, commercial and property law expert Esther Njiru Omulele, National Gender and Equality Commission (NGEC) member Priscilla Nyokabi and University of Nairobi don Planner 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, within 14 days, nominates the chairperson and 8 members before he forwards to the National Assembly for vetting within 21 days.

If Parliament approves the names within seven days, they are forwarded to the President for formal appointment through a gazette within seven days.

The nine-member Muhamed Swazuri led team completed a tour of duty on February 19, 2019 after completing the mandatory non-renewable six-year term.

The other commissioners include Vice-Chair 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 a myriad of corruption claims especially on compulsory acquisitions and compensations for state projects.

Although NLC was created to address the mess in the land sector, critics feel the commission has ended up also creating further confusion with unending internal wranglers and also supremacy wars with the ministry of lands.

On August 13, Prof Swazuri and 16 co-accused denied charges of conspiring to defraud the government of Sh221.3 million, following their early arrest and were later released on bail.

Among those charged alongside NLC Chair include Chief Executive Officer Tom Chavangi, Caroline Nabalayo and Peter Ng’ang’a who are both Registrars at the Ministry of Lands, two senior land commission directors- Ms Salome Munubi (Valuation and taxation), Francis Mugo (Finance) and a licensed land surveyor Obadiah Mbugua Wainaina.