Revealed: Paper trail shows power struggle at NYS

Devolution Cabinet Secretary Anne Waiguru (left) and NYS Director General Nelson Githinji during the launch of strategic plan at KICC on Tuesday. [PHOTO: BEVERLYNE MUSILI/STANDARD]

NAIROBI: Documents obtained by The Standard now indicate signs of power struggles at National Youth Service (NYS). The documents show a strenuous working relationship that has seen officers bypass their seniors in making decisions.

Indeed, investigators have discovered a senior officer who had been removed from the IFMIS system, was still making approvals in the system a month after his removal.

A personal assistant was elevated to a director without production of the requisite academic and professional testimonials.

But Public Service Commission (PSC) in a letter dated June 10, 2015 rejected the appointment as irregular. On March 23, NYS Director General Nelson Githinji wrote to Head of Public Service Joseph Kinyua communicating the appointment of his personal assistant Jane Muringi to the senior position of Director in charge of liaison and community mobilisation at NYS.

Githinji in his letter to Kinyua further requested that the said appointment be formalised. Ms Muringi had previously been working in the defunct Office of the Prime Minister as a senior youth advisor to former PM Raila Odinga. She was in charge of the controversial Kazi kwa Vijana programme.

But CPS on June 10 wrote to the Principal Administrative Secretary Office of Chief of Staff Stephen Kirogo, communicating the rejection of the move to appoint Muringi.

In a letter signed by PSC Chair Margret Kobia, PSC said: “The proposal to create the post of Director, Liaison and appointment of Muringi to the position has been disallowed. There is no concurrence from the parent ministry. Further, in absence of the curriculum vitae, suitability for such senior level cannot be assessed.”

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Githinji in his letter had told Kinyua: “Muringi was engaged as an advisor on youth affairs to the defunct office of PM from 2010 to 2013. Thereafter, she joined NYS and has been working as the personal assistant to the Director General of the service. Following the restructuring of the NYS with expanded mandate and in order to effectively and efficiently manage the vision pillars of NYS, I appointed her as the acting Director Liaison and Community Mobilisation in September, 2014. This is, therefore, to request your office to regularise her appointment.”

Another report drawn by a senior NYS director details procurement of an assortment of food stuff in NYS Gilgil station and how a senior NYS official and his personal assistant attempted to arm-twist officers to accept low grade food stuff that had been irregularly supplied.

The report shows a senior officer was prevented from submitting a report to Devolution Cabinet Secretary Anne Waiguru on the irregular supplies that the CS had demanded. At the same time, the officer had opposed the appointment of a corporal to a position. He believed the said corporal did not have the necessary experience. “The CS then directed me to make a comprehensive report, which I was meant to present to her on March 3 accompanied by the director general and his deputy ,” reads  the report.

It was during the meeting at Waiguru’s office that drama ensued. Githinji took the report the officer had prepared for the CS and proceeded to walk into Waiguru’s office, leaving the officer behind.

“As I was still waiting to be ushered in for the meeting, Githinji emerged from Waiguru’s office at about 3:30pm and advised me to wait for him at the NYS headquarters, adding that the meeting had been postponed.

He reported back at NYS at about 5:20pm and immediately I walked into his office, he handed me a letter of transfer requiring me to hand over the command of the college to my successor within three days before proceeding to my new appointment in Turkana County,” the officer said, adding: “On march 1, Githinji called me to inquire about the reaction of the CS when she (CS) called me and what we could do to salvage the situation. Indeed, I was also shocked by the way he humbled himself because we rarely talked.”