The committee has taken issue with the manner in which the nominee for chairperson was made/FILE
The committee has taken issue with the manner in which the nominee for chairperson was made, saying the Public Service Commission Selection Panel sent seven names to the President for selection, instead of three as required by law.
The TSC Act Section 8(d) which guides the procedure for nominations and appointment states a ‘selection panel shall submit the names of three qualified applicants for the position of chairperson and thirteen qualified applicants for the position of a member to the President.’
This is the second time the nominee for chairperson, Kiragu wa Magochi, is being rejected in Parliament.
Magochi’s nomination has been marred by controversy following complaints that he was unfairly picked among his competitors.
He is currently the acting Education Secretary in charge of Coordination and Supervision of Operations of Directorates in the Ministry of Education, Science and Technology.
In the report submitted by committee chairperson Sabina Chege to Parliament, the MPs have also rejected the five other nominees saying they lack a mix of professionals with all the nominees having a background in education and did not include special interest groups.
“Special interest groups like persons with disabilities were not considered despite being in the list forwarded to the President and further, it did not meet the constitutional requirement of regional balance,” said the committee report.
Kenyatta had nominated Albert Ekirapa, Jacinta Kapiyo, William Mwita Makubo, James Muthuri Nkoroi and Mwijuma Mwinyipembe to serve as members in the TSC.
The committee has now recommended that the six posts should all be advertised afresh.
The committee observed that five out of the six nominees were employees of the Ministry of Education, Science and Technology indicating a mass exodus of senior officials from the Ministry to TSC.
Further, it notes that the nominees presented do not depict transitional leadership since a majority of them are over 55 years of age.
The Education Committee observed that William Mwita Makubo’s name was not among the 13 names that were forwarded to the President by the selection panel yet he was a nominee. Members said this contravenes the TSC Act, which states that the President shall only nominate from the 13 names submitted to him by the panel.
It also says the selection panel displayed bias by allowing Mwijuma Mwinyipembe who was a former selection panellist to appear for the second interview and ranked him position one overall.
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