7 suspected criminals who have been given top jobs in Uhuru’s gov’t
Ben Chumo leading in the list
Chumo was vetted by Parliament, days after he was released from jail in connection to fraudulent procurement of faulty transformers, costing taxpayers Sh310,129,743.
Curiously, Chumo was arrested less than a week after the head of state nominated him for the SRC job – leaving doubts on the vetting process carried out by the President’s handlers.
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Pulselive.co.ke researched on previous incidents where high-level government jobs have been awarded to people who faced criminal charges.
Chris Okemo
The former Nambale MP was appointed a member of the board of the Kenya Seed Company in 2015 while still fighting the government’s attempt to extradite him to the Island of Jersey where he faces money laundering charges.
Okemo later declined the appointment which had been done by then Agriculture CS Felix Koskei but thanked the President for considering him.
John Mututho
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In 2013, President Kenyatta nominated former Naivasha MP, Mr John Mututho to chair the National Agency for the Campaign against Drug Abuse (NACADA) despite having an active criminal case in court.
A House committee that vetted him recommended that he be rejected for the position but that recommendation was not complied with as MPs voted in support of Mututho.
Ferdinand Waititu
In 2014, then Environment CS Judy Wakhungu appointed Ferdinand Waititu as the chairman of Athi Water Services Board who was facing charges related to hate speech.
Special mentions
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Interior CS Fred Matiang’i, Inspector General Joseph Boinnet, and Immigration Gordon Kihalangwa have continued to hold high-level government jobs despite a court ruling that convicted them of contempt of court – a criminal offence.
They have since moved to the Court of Appeal seeking a reversal of their convictions.
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