Race for KeNHA chair post in top gear
There is intense lobbying at the Kenya National Highways Authority (KeNHA) for the parastatal’s board chairmanship as the term of the current holder, Wangai Ndirangu, comes to an end next month.
Wangai’s tenure concludes at a time the country is also having a change of guard as President Uhuru Kenyatta, who appointed him, is expected to hand over to either Deputy President William Ruto or Azimio-One Kenya candidate Raila Odinga, after next month’s election.
Though Wangai is eligible for another term, the expiry of his first, three-year term which started in 2019, has sparked competition.
Interested candidates are lobbying for the position in a campaign that has also sucked in politicians and contractors.
Second term
Transport and Infrastructure Cabinet Secretary James Macharia said the Ministry will make the appropriate decision when Wanga’s term ends.
“We are not in a rush to make new appointments. Even if we will not be there, those who will be there will make the necessary decisions,” Macharia told People Daily.
Sources say various camps are positioning themselves to control the agency currently running multi-billion shilling projects across the country.
We have established that other than Wangai, who sources say wants to be considered for a second term, former Regional Development Permanent Secretary Eng Carey Orege, who is a member of the board, and corporate guru Winnie Ngumi, are among the candidates for the position.
“Nothing stops Wangai from seeking an extension because the Act says one is eligible for two terms. There are other people within the board and outsiders eying the position,” a source at the agency divulged yesterday
The lobbying attracted politicians who want to seize control of the parastatal and contractors who do business with the agency.
Succession politics
Wangai, a former lecturer at omo Kenyatta University of Agriculture and Technology (JKUAT) before his appointment, is banking on his performance in the first term.
Insiders are said to be keen on ensuring continuity and non-interference by succession politics.
The fight for the position has also been linked to a vicious war against the current board, with court cases filed against it on grounds that Wangai was not eligible.
Some of the petitioners have argued that his appointment was illegal because he is a public officer working as a lecturer.
One petitioner wants the court to prohibit Infrastructure Cabinet Secretary from reappointing Wangai to the board.
But Wangai and KeNHA, in their replying affidavits, say his appointment was within the law. “The appointment of the interested party (Wangai) by the President, as the board chairman of Kenha, was done in compliance with the provisions of Section 5(1)(a) and 5(2) of the Kenya Roads Act No 2 of 2007,” KeNHA said in court documents.
KeNHA is one of the critical agencies shaping Uhuru’s legacy, and is currently implementing several multi-billion projects.
