Parastatal boards yet to appoint acting chief executives
GDC chief executive Silas Simiyu on Monday stepped aside to make way for investigations of corruption allegations against him. PHOTO | FILE
State corporations whose chief executives were suspended in President Uhuru Kenyatta’s corruption purge remained rudderless after only one announced a replacement for the top jobs by Monday evening.
Geothermal Development Company (GDC) chief executive Silas Simiyu became the first parastatal head to officially step aside to pave the way for investigations.
The company’s board subsequently appointed Godwin Mwawongo, previously GDC’s technical services manager, as the acting CEO. Faisal Abbas, who chairs the GDC board, said in a statement that Dr Simiyu had agreed to step aside.
“Godwin Mwawongo, a reservoir engineer, is an accomplished geothermal expert with 20 years’ experience in the energy sector,” said Mr Abbas. Boards of eight other agencies that Mr Kenyatta had directed to name acting CEOs were yet to do so by Monday evening.
These include Agricultural Finance Corporation, Nzoia Sugar Company, NSSF, National Water Conservation and Kenya Pipeline Corporation. Others are Kenya Airports Authority, Tourism Fund/Catering Levy Trustee and Kenya Trade Network Agency (KenTrade).
At GDC, the EACC is investigating alleged irregularities in the award of tenders worth more than Sh10 billion, including procurement of drilling rigs, staff mismanagement and financial improprieties.
The board of Kenya Airports Authority (KAA), whose managing director Lucy Mbugua is yet to officially step aside, has yet to settle for an acting MD.
“We are yet to meet and make a decision. We (board members) were all away when the President issued the directive,” KAA chairman David Kimaiyo said on Monday.
Uncertainty, however, surrounds KenTrade which has not had a board since expiry of the previous one’s term in June, presenting a challenge in naming an acting official to stand in for the chief executive Alex Kabuga, who is expected to relinquish office.
“We have not had a board since June 30,” KenTrade former chairman Joseph Kibwana told the Business Daily.
Gen (Rtd) Kibwana said the lack of a board had left confusion in the naming of an acting CEO “Since KenTrade falls under the National Treasury, I expect them to handle the matter,” he said.
It is not yet clear what allegations the KenTrade CEO is facing. The state corporations’ heads are among 175 senior public officials named in the list of corruption that is expected to be made public and debated in parliament on Tuesday.
KenTrade is the custodian of electronic single window system, which allows submission, receipting and processing of cargo documents electronically at a single entry point to speed up import and export trade.
The portal hosts multiple government agencies involved in clearing cargo and issuing import and export documents including Kenya Revenue Authority and Kenya Bureau of Standards (Kebs).
President Kenyatta handed the list to the National Assembly last week during his address to the nation on the floor of the August House. The dossier came from the Ethics and Anti-Corruption Commission (EACC) chief executive officer Halakhe Waqo.
President Kenyatta gave EACC 60 days to be through with the probe, to be followed by prosecution of culpable officials by the Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions which on Monday agreed to send a team of prosecutors to the anti-graft agency to expedite the process.
The two agencies have asked the Directorate of Criminal Investigations headed by Ndegwa Muhoro to send officers to the EACC for integrated operation.
Mr Kenyatta dropped the bombshell on corruption during the joint sitting of Parliament when he announced that he had annexed a secret list of persons who are under investigations by the EACC.
The President then issued an order asking all those listed in the corruption dossier to set aside pending conclusion of investigations against them.
Majority leaders Aden Duale (National Assembly) and Kithure Kindiki (Senate) will table three reports that Mr Kenyatta presented to Speaker Justin Muturi last Thursday during the State of the Nation Address.
Five Cabinet secretaries have already stepped aside including Felix Koskei (Agriculture), Davis Chirchir (Energy and Petroleum), Charity Ngilu (Land), Kazungu Kambi (Labour) and Michael Kamau (Transport).
Heads of parastatals affected in the purge include Patrick Osero, the chairman of the Agricultural Finance Corporation, Richard Langat, managing trustee National Social Security Fund (NSSF) and Evans Ngibuini, the acting chief executive officer at National Water Conservation Corporation.
Others are Pipeline Corporation managing director Charles Tonui, Francis Oyatsi, managing director Nzoia Sugar Company and Allan Chenane, chief executive officer at Tourism Fund/Catering Levy Trustee.
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