Nairobi MCAs reject, Musumba as County Secretary, cite academic qualifications, alleged graft claims

The Nairobi County Assembly Members (MCAs) have unanimously rejected to approve Nairobi governor Johnson Sakaja’s choice of Jairus Musumba as the County Secretary citing his academic qualifications, lack of experience and alleged involvement in graft.

Musumba has been serving as the Nairobi County Secretary for two years before Sakaja decided to retain him and consequently nominate him in a substantive position.

Nairobi County Assembly Speaker Ken Ngóndi directed that the Sakaja to make another appointment of the acting county secretary within a period of seven days. The person appointed should not be his rejected nominee.

This comes in the wake of extortion claims pitting as senior Nairobi County Assembly official domiciled within the Speaker’s office accused of obtaining money from job seekers eyeing for political appointment posts within the Nairobi County government.

In one instance, the official is said to have received Sh1million bribe to facilitate appointment of one man to the position of Chief Officer he is now embroiled in ugly tussle to refund the bribe money after he failed to honour his part of the bargain.

According to the County Governments Act, the county secretary is the Head of County Public Service and is the responsible for the operations of the county executive.

Among the graft claims issues haunting Musumba is the alleged collusion between City Hall officials and unscrupulous private developers in the grabbing of the Nairobi City Water and Sewerage Company (NCWSC) land situated in Eastleigh Nairobi.

During the vetting held at City Hall, Musumba was put to task to explain how a parcel of land was hived off illegally to private owners.

However, Musumba denied any knowledge of the piece of land in question even as MCA’s pressed him to explain the circumstances surrounding the loss of county land.

However, while tabling the report on the floor of the House yesterday, Nairobi County Assembly Majority Leader Peter Imwatok said the nominee has been in office illegally after serving for close to two years in acting capacity which is more than the recommended six months in line with the Section 10 of the Public Service Commission Act.

Sakaja had nominated him as part of his cabinet.

In the report tabled, MCAs resolved that Musumba lacks academic qualifications to serve as the county secretary.

“The nominee lacks suitable academic and professional background and qualifications to serve in the position of the county secretary having spent almost the entire his academic work and work experience in the field of public health,” part of the report by the Committee on Appointment reads in part.

“The assembly has been carrying out its activities efficiently by passing all the county officers. We do not want to be part of an illegality in this county. The nominee has been in that office for two years and he has misadvised previous governors in this county leading to chaos and confusion in service delivery.” Imwatok added.

Minority Leader Anthony Kiragu said the nominee had failed to adequately respond to questions asked by the assembly’s Committee on Appointment.

“We have looked at the history of the nominee and we have made a choice to reject his nomination. He has been the Chief Officer for a long time and his contract ended in November last year but Mr Sakaja appointed him illegally so he can take the position of the county secretary. We do not want to be part of an illegality.” Kiragu noted.

According to the law, the County Secretary regularly communicates decisions of the executive to the relevant authorities.

Musumba had been nominated following a series of interviews carried out on fourteen candidates who had expressed interest in the position.

He has previously served in the regimes of former Nairobi governor Evans Kidero, former Nairobi governor Mike Sonko, former Nairobi governor Ann Kananu and the current governor Johnson Sakaja.

A county secretary must be a Chief Officer according to county regulations. In November last year.

Sakaja had appointed his as a Chief Officer without portifolio in anticipation that he would appoint him as the county secretary.

He has served in acting capacity as the county secretary for a period of two years which is against Section 34 [3] of the Public Service Commission Act, No. 10 of 2017 that dictates that public officers should serve in acting capacity between one month and up to a maximum period of six months.