NAIROBI, Kenya Mar 17- The Kenya Airports Authority (KAA) has ignored Parliament’s recommendation to carry out a fresh recruitment exercise for the authority’s new Managing Director.
KAA Board Chairman Martin Wambora on Wednesday maintained that they authority had acted within the confines of the law.
“The process was witnessed by a representative of the Inspector General, State Corporations who expressed his satisfaction with the entire process,” Mr Wambora said.
The assertion by the board comes a day after the Parliamentary Committee on Transport recommended that the recruitment of the next MD start over to correct alleged flaws in the current process.
Controversy in the process begun when outgoing Managing Director George Muhoho ignored the board and advertised the position without its approval, which was then rescinded and the board re-advertised the position.
The committee also took issue of the ranking of the three short-listed candidates. The first candidate scored 91 points with the second garnering 66 points and the third 64 points. It also felt that Mr Muhoho had hand-picked his successor.
The Chairman was hard pressed to give a definitive answer saying, “a matter of recruitment of an MD is an executive function. When you begin questioning how we graded honestly that is not a legislative function.”
Mr Wambora said it would only consider fresh recruitment if given a directive by the Ministry of Transport or by the President.
“Parliament can give us their advise but as of this point the office of the President and that of the Prime Minister have already looked into the matter and given us a clean bill of health,” adding they were comfortable with that position.
The board has already approved three nominees for the post and now awaits gazettment by the Transport Minister. Mr Muhoho’s contract expires in April and he is expected to take terminal leave from next week Monday.
It is however not clear who will take up his position prior to the appointment of his replacement.
“By Friday you shall know who will be taking over in an acting capacity prior to the appointment of the new Managing Director which I hope will be very soon,” he said clarifying no shortlisted candidate would be considered.
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