Farmer wants 78-year old Matu Wamae out of New KCC

A Murang’a-based dairy farmer has moved to court seeking to quash the appointment of Matu Wamae as the New KCC chairman.

The farmer, Stanley Ngugi Kinuthia, has filed an application arguing that Mr Wamae, 78, has already attained the mandatory retirement age and should, therefore, vacate office so as to uphold good corporate governance of a public company owned by Kenyans.

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According to the petitioner in the court papers filed through Muriu, Mungai & Company Advocates, there is no record that the vacancy for the position of chairperson of the New KCC board, in which Mr Wamae was appointed, had been advertised to the public by either President Uhuru Kenyatta or the Public Service Commission.

Mr Wamae has alternately served as chairman and also as a member of the New KCC board since 2005.

He started off as chairman following his appointment by the then Minister for Cooperative Development and Marketing.

President Kenyatta appointed him the New KCC board chairperson for a further three year period with effect from January 1, 2017.

“There is no public record of the criteria or qualifications that were used to select and appoint Mr Wamae as chairperson of New KCC board,” Mr Kinuthia in court papers.

Mr Wamae, who has served in the New KCC board for more than 12 years, is currently serving his sixth term in the milk processor’s board.

Muriu, Mungai & Company Advocates for Mr Kinuthia, argue the Constitution and applicable laws specifically requires that the selection of persons to be appointed to state corporation offices should be done in a manner that respects the principle of fair competition and merit as the basis of appointments in public service.