Anti-graft agency to hire new top bosses

The anti-corruption watchdog has advertised the positions of chairman and four commissioners.

This comes barely a month after President Uhuru Kenyatta rejected a Bill to disband the secretariat and pave the way for a new one.

The President proposed amendments that would ensure the officials stayed in office for at least one year.

SENT HOME
The agency has been working without top officials, after chairman Mumo Matemu, vice-chairman Irene Keino and commissioner Jane Onsongo were sent home.

The three were voted out by MPs and the decision was endorsed by the President, leaving the commission a shell. It has, however, been conducting investigations.

The decision by the government to recruit commissioners means the current secretariat will work for at least one year before the officials are vetted, according to the recommendation made by the Head of State when he sent the Bill back to the National Assembly for reconsideration.

The officials will enjoy greater independence from the commissioners as some of the proposals in the Bill are aimed at employing the commissioners on a part-time basis.

FRESH TERMS
This is meant to end the perennial conflicts between the secretariat and the commissioners.

In an advertisement in the media on Thursday, the Public Service Commission announced the five vacancies, after the National Assembly recommended that the number of commissioners be raised from three to five.

It also proposed part-time commissioners. The previous team was employed on permanent terms.

The new chairman should be a degree holder, have at least 15 years' experience in the relevant field and meet the requirements of Chapter Six of the Constitution on integrity.

The applicant is required to have had a distinguished career in his field.

STRINGENT REQUIREMENTS
The required qualifications are the same for the commissioners, but the requirement for experience is shorter, at 10 years in fields such as ethics and governance, law, public administration, public relations and media, economics, accounting and religious studies.

The commissioners will serve on a part-time basis.

The five new commissioners should not be members of a governing body of a political party.

In addition, they should not have been declared bankrupt, convicted of felony and removed from office for contravening the Constitution.

“The allowances for the new team, being state officers, shall be determined by the Salaries and Remuneration Commission,” the advert indicated.