Reinstate company chiefs or face sack: CS Wamalwa
Water CS Eugene Wamalwa (right) and his Devolution counterpart Mwangi Kiunjuri follow proceedings during the third devolution conference in Meru on April 22, 2016. Mr Wamalwa wants the reinstatement of three irrigation board officials. PHOTO | JOSEPH KANYI | NATION MEDIA GROUP
What you need to know:
- And in a new twist, which complicates the matter, a public petition has been launched in Parliament seeking the removal of the officials.
- Section 13 gives the minister veto powers and states that the board shall act in accordance with any general or special directions that may be given to it by the minister.
Water Cabinet Secretary Eugene Wamalwa has threatened to dissolve the board of the irrigation unless it reinstates three top officials suspended for six months over alleged misuse of public funds.
And in a new twist, which complicates the matter, a public petition has been launched in Parliament seeking the removal of the officials.
The row pitting the CS and the National Irrigation Board (NIB) started on April 21 when the board suspended General Manager Daniel Baraza, Deputy General Manager, Finance and Strategy, Gladys Chomba, and Procurement and Supplies Manager Boaz Akello.
In a letter to the NIB board chairman, Dr Sammy Letema, the CS now invokes Section 13 of the Irrigation Act and threatens to disband the entire board if it does not comply with his previous directive.
“Please, note that I have given directives under Section 13, which the board must abide by, failure of which the board shall stand dissolved,” says Mr Wamalwa in a letter copied to Mr Joseph Kinyua, Chief of Staff and Head of Public Service.
Section 13 gives the minister veto powers and states that “the board shall act in accordance with any general or special directions that may be given to it by the minister”.
At the same time, Loima MP Protus Akuja has lodged a public petition in Parliament alleging “massive impropriety” by the three officials and violation of procurement procedures in projects undertaken in Turkana County. It is signed by 20 residents.
The petitioners have asked the Public Investment Committee to investigate the activities of NIB in Turkana and the “unwillingness of its general manager to address financial impropriety allegations”.
They are also demanding a special audit of the projects.
Minutes of the board meeting indicate that there was an “altercation in the (Irrigation) PS’ office” during a meeting between the Turkana County Parliamentary Caucus and the general manager.
“This meeting was witnessed by Irrigation PS on March 29. The former had complained about mismanagement of the NIB projects in their county.”
