Grim details emerge of TSC officials selection process

By MARTIN MUTUA

KENYA: Despite not being nominated by President Uhuru Kenyatta, Dr Lydia Nzomo tops the list of nominees for the position of chairperson for the Teachers Service Commission, The Standard has learnt.

Mrs Nzomo is the Kenya Institute of Curriculum Development Director

According to documents in our possession, the Dr James Kamunge ‘s selection panel that dealt with the process, is riddled with controversy after it emerged that they picked another nominee for the position of commissioner who came last in the interviews but was eventually nominated by the president.

The name of a Mr William Mwita Makubo is not among the list of 13 names shortlisted by the Kamunge team on July 8, 2013, but interestingly, the President nominated him and forwarded the name to Parliament which was later approved.

According to the documents by the selection panel, Mr Makubo, scored 44.4 per cent being that last of the 16 candidates who had been interviewed. However, his name was forwarded by President Kenyatta to Parliament and was eventually approved.

On the Chairperson’s seat, a nominee who was rejected by Parliament Mr Kiragu wa Magochi fronted by a top official in the President’s office was again re-interviewed by the selection panel on a weekend under  mysterious circumstances and awarded eight more points from the previous ones that he had originally attained.

During the first round of interviews, Magochi had scored 70 per cent and came second to Dr Nzomo.

When his name was picked and forwarded to Parliament, it was rejected with members demanding that the president forwards the name of Dr Nzomo who came in first with 80.3 per cent.

And recently, the selection panel going against the advice of the Attorney General, Githu Muigai to submit fresh names to the President for appointment, decided to re interview Magochi and this time awarded him 78.1 per cent and still came second to Dr Nzomo.

According to the legal opinion by the Attorney General on the matter, the President should have picked the fresh names from the nominees that had been prepared by the Kamunge team and forward them to the Parliament for appointment.

“I am of the considered opinion that as regards the existing vacancies and for which a selection process has already been initiated, it behoves the President to draw fresh names of nominee from the list that has been prepared by the selection panel,” adds Githu  in a letter to TSC secretary Gabriel Lengoiboni.