Storm in Parliament over Wamalwa’s recall of NIB bosses

Water and Irrigation secretary Eugene Wamalwa faces impeachment over his decision to reinstate suspended National Irrigation Board (NIB) executives against the advice of directors, even as MPs from Western Kenya supported him.

Three MPs alleged that Mr Wamalwa had been compromised and promised to table evidence linking the minister to corruption.

Nandi Hills MP Alfred Keter, Christopher Nakuleu (Turkana North) and Protus Akuja (Loima) said that they had filed a petition seeking the removal of the top three NIB executives for mismanagement.

NIB general manager Daniel Barasa, Mary Chomba (deputy general manager Finance and Strategy) and Boaz Akello (Procurement and Supplies) were suspended last Thursday for misconduct and financial mismanagement.

But Mr Wamalwa reinstated them on Monday through a letter to the NIB board chairman, Sammy Letema, on grounds that the board did not follow the law in removing the executives and that he was not consulted as the Cabinet secretary overseeing the irrigation agency.

Dr Letema termed Mr Wamalwa’s directive illegal and vowed that the NIB board will not allow the suspended officials to resume office.

The MPs said the reinstatement goes against provisions of the State Corporations Act and corporate governance principles that guarantee independence of the board.

“The reinstatement is alarming as it comes at a time when the NIB has started planting at the multi-billion shillings Galana Kulalu irrigation scheme,” said Mr Keter who sits on the Agriculture committee.

“We therefore call upon the Ethics and Anti-Corruption Commission (EACC), Public Investments Committee, the Auditor-General and Efficiency Monitoring Unit to speed up investigations and carry out a thorough audit on the misconduct and financial mismanagement on all the projects being undertaken by this board,” he added.

MPs from Western Kenya, however, supported Mr Barasa’s reinstatement arguing that the Jubilee government has been purging civil servants from the Luhya community.

READ: Wamalwa, NIB board row over suspended executives

MPs Benjamin Washaili, Bernard Shinali, Emanuel Wangwe and Ayub Savula said they will not sit and watch civil servants from the community removed from office.

“We will not allow members of our community to be removed unprocedurally. We support Mr Wamalwa in reinstating Mr Barasa who was suspended by the board illegally,” Mr Savula said.

They claimed that the Jubilee administration removed Luhyas from the management of the Kenyatta International Convention Centre (KICC) and the Geothermal Development Corporation (GDC) and were replaced by other tribes.

Mr Wamalwa said the board violated the rights of the officials by accusing them without mentioning the specifics of their breaches.