Officers moved by Charity Ngilu to be reinstated

By GEOFFREY MOSOKU

Officials who Lands, Housing and Urban Development Cabinet Secretary Charity Ngilu transferred will be reinstated immediately following the adoption of a report faulting her for the irregular appointments.

Leader of Majority in the National Assembly Aden Duale explained that parliament will now write to the relevant bodies to ensure its report is implemented. 

“The Committee on Implementation will write to the relevant persons and authorities to ensure the report’s recommendations are implemented,” he said.

This means that Ephantus Murage will be reinstated immediately as Director of Survey since his transfer to the ministry of mining has been nullified. Mps who faulted Ngilu say Murage is one of the long serving land administrators who could not just be hounded out of office  without involving the Public Service Commission.

Murage’s Deputy Boaz Owino who had been moved to the ministry of Petroleum and energy too will be reinstated.

MPs’ move also means that former Lands Commissioner Zablon Mabea will continue signing land titles for interim basis as Ngilu prepares to bring regulation to create the office of Chief lands Registrar to parliament for legislation.

Cesare Mbaria and Julius Rotich who had been elevated by four grades to become Director of Survey and Deputy respectively will now resume their junior positions and report to Murage.

The position of director general created by Ngilu has been scrapped after the committees of Lands and Delegated Legislation revoked the gazette notice.

Meanwhile, the joint committee is set to start interrogating the legitimacy of a gazette notice by the National Lands Commission that appointed its chairman Mumamad Swazuri and CEO Tom Chavangi as the sole signatories to land titles.

Lands committee vice chairman Moses Sakuda said the committees will move with speed over the matter so as to address the stalemate which has threatened to cripple the issuance of titled deeds.

The matter was raised in the house last week by Mbooni MP Kisoi Munyao who wanted the committees to clarify on who is mandated to sign the titles between the ministry and the commission following the gazette notice.