Controversy erupts as executive concurrence process used to bypass competitive recruitment
A dispute has erupted between Treasury CS John Mbadi and State House over the unilateral replacement of a competitively recruited nominee for the National Government Constituency Development Fund (NG-CDF) board, raising fresh questions about executive interference in public appointments.
The controversy centers on a last-minute substitution made during the executive concurrence stage, which undermined the Public Service Commission’s competitive recruitment process.
CS Mbadi had written an official letter nominating four individuals for parliamentary vetting, including Ms. Komora Yvonne Nsunsu, Ms. Manyaga Yvonne Boyani, Mr. Mutua Fidelis Kieti, and Mr. Ahmed Diriye Mohammed.
However, in a “concurrence letter” signed by Deputy Chief of Staff Josphat Nanok on behalf of Head of Public Service Felix Koskei, State House returned the list with one significant change, Ahmed Diriye Mohammed was replaced with Morris Putita Kaaka.
Governance watchdogs have raised an alarm that the change bypassed the official Public Service Commission competitive shortlisting process, using the executive “concurrence” stage to alter the lineup instead of merely verifying compliance with statutory requirements.
The Consumer Federation of Kenya (COFEK) has threatened to file a lawsuit to halt the process, arguing that vetting an individual who was not part of the competitive recruitment corrupts parliamentary oversight.
CS Mbadi has, however, downplayed the controversy, calling it an unnecessary dispute born out of leaked internal communication from State House.
“I shared the initial list with the Head of Public Service for executive concurrence, where it was explained to me that changes were required to ensure regional or ethnic inclusivity in the final board,” Mbadi stated.
Mbadi emphasized that the statutory power to forward names to Parliament resides strictly with his office, and the final list will officially originate from the National Treasury.
The Public Service Commission initially advertised the four vacancies to fill three-year contracts on the eight-member NG-CDF board through a competitive process.
