Minister probes CCK board action on chief executive
CCK Director-General Charles Njoroge and Information and Communications Minister Samuel Poghisio address the press at a recent Press conference. Photo/FILE
A minister has stepped in to resolve a recruitment row simmering at Kenya’s telecoms sector regulator where the board has signalled its intentions not to renew the contract of the incumbent, Mr Charles Njoroge.
Information and Communications minister Samuel Poghisio has asked the State Corporation Advisory Committee (SCAC) to give him the appraisal files for Mr Njoroge as he tries to reconcile how such a stellar performer fared so miserably during the final assessment done by the board.
SCAC monitors the performance of government corporations.
“I have asked SCAC to furnish me with appraisal of CCK for the past three years to assess whether they support the board’s recommendation,” Mr Poghisio said on Tuesday.
Mr Njoroge, who last December wrote to the board requesting a three-year renewal of contract, has questioned the criteria the board used saying previous appraisals showed he was performing to the terms of the contract.
“If the last three appraisals done by a government agency has shown that I am a performer, what has all over sudden changed?”, posed Mr Njoroge. The minister said he would issue a statement this week after looking at the SCAC documents.
An insider privy to the ongoings said Mr Poghisio could pass a vote of no confidence with board members if he detects foul play, or call for a ‘360 degree’ appraisal by sector players and Communications Commission of Kenya staff.
If it indeed turns out that Mr Njoroge has not met the terms of his contract he would then be asked to proceed on leave to enable the board replace him.
The board chaired by Philip Okundi has nine other members with permanent secretaries Joseph Kinyua (Finance), Bitange Ndemo (Information) and Francis Kimemia (Internal Security) in by proxy.
Others are Alice Munyua, Eunice Ombati, Joe Kamau, Kiriithi Njogu, Matei Ndeti, CCK legal officer John Omo and CCK director- general.
The recommendations by the board to the minister arose from an appraisal where Mr Njoroge scored 60 per cent — below the 70 per cent cut off point set by the board for possible renewal of his contract.
Mr Okundi said the score was below the minimum expected of a CEO of a regulatory body in a dynamic industry such as telecommunications.
“In view of the above performance the board recommends the termination of the contract with the view to ask Mr Njoroge to go on terminal leave,” read part of the letter to Mr Poghisio.
Mr Njoroge, 53, who has a masters degree in Economics and a post-graduate certificate in Telecommunications Regulation, took over leadership of the CCK from Mr David Waweru on July 21, 2008.
He has worked with the CCK since March 1999 and has 28 years experience in the sector, having previously worked for the defunct Kenya Post and Telecommunication Corporation.
During his three-year tenure, CCK has implemented several sector regulations aimed at protecting consumers and tackling anti-competitive behaviour among the operators.
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