Sonko presents nominees rejected by MCAs for county board membership

Nairobi Governor Mike Sonko has, once again, presented the names of nominees who had been rejected by MCAs to the Nairobi County Assembly for vetting for positions in the Nairobi County Public Service Board.

The governor forwarded the names of lawyer Phillip Kaingu as his nominee for the position of secretary of the board and Jack Owino as a board member.

The names were contained in the governor’s message that was read to the assembly by Speaker Benson Mutura on Tuesday.

“Hon Members you are aware Section 58(1) (b) and Section 58(1) (c) of the County Government Act 2020 provides for the nomination and appointment of a member and secretary to the County Public Service Board respectively, with the approval of the County Assembly from among persons who are not Members of the County Assembly through a competitive process,” said Mr Mutura.

Interestingly, the two names are not new to the assembly after an unsuccessful bid to join the board with Mr Owino failing to present himself for interview or his credentials to the panel during an interview to fill vacancies at the board last year.

He was among six candidates that Sonko had forwarded to the assembly on May 8, 2019 for vetting.

On the other hand, Mr Kaingu’s nomination for the same position suffered a huge setback after the Labour and Social Welfare Committee recommended his rejection for lacking requisite qualifications and experience needed for the position.

Mr Kaingu had been nominated by Governor Sonko on March 2, 2020 to replace Ms Susan Waweru who has been acting as the secretary to the board, a position which has been vacant since the former holder, Mr Meshack Guto's term came to an end last year.

In its report tabled before the Nairobi County Assembly on July 2, 2020, the committee submitted that Mr Kaingu was not qualified as per requirements of the said position since he is not a Certified Public Secretary by the Kenya Accountants and Secretaries National Examinations Board (Kasneb).

Board membership

This is after the nominee, an advocate of the High Court, admitted that he does not have a certified public secretary certificate which is contrary to section 58(1) (c) of the County Governments Act which provides that the board shall comprise a certified public secretary of good professional standing nominated and appointed by the governor with the approval of the county assembly.

The two names have, once again, been committed to the Labour Committee by the Speaker for vetting, set for October 5, 2020.

The board currently has four members, including acting chairman Thomas Mweu. The other members are Aisha Wanjiku, Sharon Mirella and Consolata Muthoni.

However, the board should be constituted with seven members as per the law which also requires that it must have five members to achieve a quorum.

The former chairman of the board, former Kakamega Deputy Speaker Abdihakim Mohamed, left under unclear circumstances after a brief stint.

The board is charged with establishing and abolishing offices in the county public service and appointing holders of senior offices.

It also develops and implements human resource policies and a framework for the county government.