Machogu Under Fire For Appointing Only Kisii In His Ministry. MPs yesterday chastised Education Cabinet Secretary Ezekiel Machogu for alleged tribal appointments made recently in his ministry.
Claiming that Machogu has only been appointing his kinsmen when opportunities arise, the lawmakers on the Public Investments Committee (PIC) on governance and education, which is chaired by Bumula MP Wamboka Wanami, ordered Auditor General Nancy Gathungu to conduct a special audit of the ministry’s establishment.
After MPs read aloud a gazette notice appointing important officials to various colleges by the CS, they launched a debate on the subject, claiming that eight of the ten individuals nominated were members of his tribe.
According to the announcement, Angelia Obaga, Peter Gathirwa, and Tabitha Nyandie were appointed by the CS to serve as council members for Kabianga University.
Ben Momanyi was appointed to the Kirinyaga University council, while Fancy Kemei and John Ondari were appointed as council members at South Eastern Kenya University.
Lawrence Okelo and Vincent Moseti have been selected as commission members of the Commission for University (CUE), while Angelica Obaga has been chosen as a council member of Multimedia University.
Machogu Under Fire For Appointing Only Kisii In His Ministry
Wamboka asserted that they are aware that the CS chose his friends over qualified candidates while appointing faculty at Kaimosi Friends University.
Appointing Kisiis
Said Wamboka: “It is not a coincidence that the Minister of Education is a Kisii and goes ahead to make half of his appointments from Kisii. A cabinet minister who is a Kisii only appointing Kisiis is very wrong. This is a concern running through your ministry and other departments. With this regard we are directing the auditor general to carry out a special audit of ethnic composition at the ministry of education.”
He added: “The names that have been read out six out of eight appointees are Kisiis. It actually embarrasses you for this. This is actually a moral issue.”
Narok Woman Representative Rebecca Tonkei sought to know whether it is fair that in the gazette notice 80 percent of the appointees are from one tribe.
But defending himself, Machogu refuted claims that he had appointed his cronies and actually asked the committee to look at the entire appointments instead of focusing on one gazette notice.
Machogu Under Fire For Appointing Only Kisii In His Ministry
He said: “I have not appointed 80 percent of my community members. In Kaimosi university I have not appointed my cronies as is being alleged.”
Appointed VCs
In his submissions before the committee, Machogu also took the opportunity to clarify that in the last one year they have appointed vice chancellors to 14 universities.
The universities include Alupe, Dedan Kimathi University of Technology, Machakos University, Technical University of Kenya, Tharaka University, Pwani University, Karatina University, Kisii University, South Eastern Kenya University, University of Eldoret. Others are Jaramogi University of Science and Technology, Kabianga University, Tom Mboya University and Maasai Mara university.
He, however, raised concerns that Public Service Commission (PSC) has been delaying concluding appointments of the vice chancellors and Deputy Vice Chancellors.
In the case of Kaimosi Friends University, Machogu said that the PSC completed the process of recruiting a substantive Vice Chancellor, but the appointment cannot be made because the matter is in court and the court granted orders stopping the appointment pending hearing and determination of the application.
Other than the position of the Voice chancellor, he said there are two acting deputy vice chancellors at Kaimosi University Prof Julius Kemboi (Academic, student Affairs and Research) and Prof Maurice Musasia (Finance and development) whose recruitment is still pending.
He said: “In order to address the delays occasioned by the involvement of the Public Service Commission, we have drafted legislative proposals to vets the mandate of appointing vice chancellors and deputy vice chancellors in the respective university council in consultation with the cabinet secretary. The Public Service Commission will not be involved as is the case with all other state corporations.”
EACC Investigation
At the same time the committee said it will be inviting Ethics and Anti-Corruption Commission (EACC) and Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI) to investigate individuals in the ministry of Education who colluded with private universities to inflate numbers relating to their capacities as well as send double allocations to the universities.
The move comes after Machogu admitted that they could not account for about Sh 24 million that was sent to private universities as capitation.
Machogu Under Fire For Appointing Only Kisii In His Ministry