Appointment of PSC boss Simon Kibet challenged in court

Nairobi, Kenya: Human rights activist Henry Shitanda has challenged the appointment of Public Service Commission (PSC) Chief Executive Officer (CEO) Simon Kibet.

He claims that PSC and its Chairman Stephen Kigoro on December 20, 2019 settled on Kibet as the (CEO) without a fair, open, competitive and inclusive recruitment process.

“The appointment was published on December 20, 2019 but is supposedly to have taken effect on August 1, 2019,” added Shitanda.

The Attorney General (AG), Public Service Commission (PSC) are the key respondents in the petition while Simon Kibet and Stephen Kigoro are the interested parties in the matter.

The Activist wants the matter to be certified urgent and be heard in the first instance.

The applicant is seeking a restraining order against Kibet barring him from assuming office as the Secretary/CEO of the public service commission.

Shitanda is also seeking an order declaring that any appointment by PSC for Secretary/CEO of the Public Service Commission must comply with the mandatory provisions of section 16 (1) of the Public Service Commission Act.

“I am seeking a declaration that Kibet does not meet the required constitutional and statutory requirements and standards to be appointed to the position of the Secretary/CEO of the public service commission and thus he is unqualified, unsuitable and unfit to serve as Secretary/CEO of the Public Service Commission,” said Shitanda.

PSC  Chairman Kigoro gazetted the appointment  on January 2,2020.

The petition has been filed at the Employment and Labour Relations Court.

The matter will be heard on March 12, 2020.