Ministers clash over sacking

Kenya Bureau of Standards (Kebs) managing director Joseph Kipketer Koskey. Photo/FILE 

By EUNICE MACHUHI emachuhi@ke.nationmedia.com and CAROLINE WAFULA cwafula@ke.nationmedia.com
Posted  Wednesday, August 10  2011 at  22:00

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Trade minister Chirau Mwakwere has condemned the sacking of Kenya Bureau of Standards managing director.

Mr Mwakwere said Wednesday the sacking of Mr Joseph Koskey by acting Industrialisation minister Amason Kingi was unlawful.

The appointment of Mr Koskey was nullified last Thursday through a Kenya Gazette notice.

He was appointed by former Industrialisation minister Henry Kosgey on October 8, 2010, but permanent secretary Kibicho Karanja, declined to sign the letter.

The PS claimed the former minister ignored a shortlist of three candidates provided by the National Standards Council.

Dr Karanja supported Mr Kingi, saying the action was taken to correct the anomalies surrounding his appointment.

On Tuesday, Mr Kingi said he was acting on the recommendations of two reports, the Parliamentary Committee on Equal Opportunities and National Cohesion and Integration Commission.

“The process of appointing Koskey was flawed. The two reports recommended that the entire National Standards Council be fired and the MD’s appointment degazetted and the process repeated,” he said.

He said Mr Koskey was free to apply for the job when the position was re-advertised.

But Mr Mwakwere said the MD ought to have been left in office since he was qualified and was doing a good job.

He spoke as nine Kalenjin MPs rallied to Mr Koskey’s defence and demanded his reinstatement.

Rongai MP Luka Kigen, Mosop’s David Koech and Mr Sammy Mwaita (Baringo Central) claimed Mr Koskey had increased the bureau’s revenue collection in Mombasa from Sh12 million to Sh120 million.

Mr Koskey said early this week that he had not been paid since October because Dr Karanja had refused to sign his appointment letter.

“It is not proper for anyone to work for 10 months without a salary,” Mr Koech said.

Mr Mwaita said: “He has turned around Kebs and we wonder why he has been sacked,” he stated.

Abuse of authority

The MPs claimed his sacking was related to the position Kebs had taken on importation of genetically modified maize.

Energy assistant minister Magerer Lang’at described the sacking by Mr Kingi as “a blatant abuse of his ministerial authority” and asked him to rescind it immediately.

Mr Lang’at said: “As a member of that Cabinet, I would like to send a message to the Prime Minister and the President that if they don’t take control of these matters, we might take this country to the dogs again.”