BY ALBERT NYAKUNDI
Two top NYS officials are yet to leave office despite attaining the official retirement age.
The official retirement age for civil servants in Kenya is 60 years.
One of the officers, NYS Gilgil commandant Isaac Ndirangu is reportedly 62 years old and is still in office.
His contract was extended by two years.
However, insiders say the two year extension lapsed several months ago and that this has prevented other NYS staff from being promoted yet they were waiting for promotions.
Contacted by Hot News for comment, Ndirangu said he was in a meeting and promised to respond later.
However, by the time of going to press, he had not responded to text messages sent to him.
Insiders who spoke to Hot News in confidence claim that Ndirangu’s position is very lucrative and highly coveted.
The insiders said he controls billions and that doesn’t want to exit NYS.
“We have competent officers who can also be promoted and take over from him at the training school. He serves cartels’ interests as well as selfish interests. The cartels cannot as well let him go.” said the source who sought anonymity for fear of reprisal.
The insiders went on to say that an assistant director, Mazeras Maurice Chuphi born on May 2 1959 is attached to yet another lucrative department.
Mazeras is reportedly incharge of Mechanical and Transport Unit.
He is still in office despite having been required to have retired on May 2, 2019.
He is said to control hundreds of millions and is determined to see his tenure extended.
Chuphi did not respond to calls and text messages sent to him when we sought his comment.
Youth and Gender Administrative Secretary Rachael Shebesh did not also respond to our queries sent to her phone.
NYS Director General Matilda Sakwa was quick to defend her two officers.
She said younger officers at NYS lack leadership skills.
“You realize Gilgil as well as Mechanical and Transport branch are very critical units and anybody being posted there must be up to the task. NYS has been lacking in developing leadership so that is what am doing. Soon they will exit.” said the NYS Director General.
She said the government can always extend contracts of selected officers if their services are still needed.
“Yes there are younger officers but they lack leadership skills. I need officers who are all round. Not just because they are young.” Sakwa told Hot News on phone.
She said that her office has started identifying those officers that will be considered for promotion to take over leadership at the Gilgil training school as well as the transport and mechanical dockets.
“We have embarked on identifying those that will be put on a crash programme to take over at the units. We are developing a comprehensive curriculum to prepare them at the Kenya School of Government”, Sakwa said, adding that “this will be rolled out in the next two weeks or so.”
Others whose terms were extended include Phillip Tonui and John Wainaina.
Tonui’s term was extended by two years.
He is incharge of paramilitary.
Wainaina whose term was extended by one year as a Commanding Officer at the Nairobi Holding Unit has since taken a terminal leave after he was reportedly shortchanged and posted to the sports department.
“He felt the position was less lucrative and opted to take terminal leave.” said our source.
However both Wainaina and Tonui did not also respond to our queries.
Sakwa who took office in July 2018 told journalists that she would dismantle NYS cartels. “I will join NYS with an open mind to bring back its lost glory.” She told the press last year.
In 2016, when the now Kirinyaga Governor Anne Waiguru was Devolution Cabinet Secretary , Peter Mangiti PS, a special audit of the NYS accounts by the Auditor General revealed an elaborate scheme to defraud taxpayers that led to the loss of Sh1.9 billion and an attempted theft of Sh695 million.
Waiguru was forced to resign from the Cabinet and Mangiti sacked.
In July 2018, Lilian Omollo the then PS Youth and Gender Services for two and a half years was charged in court and sacked by President Uhuru Kenyatta.
This is after she was charged alongside former NYS Director General Richard Ndubai over the alleged loss of Ksh.9 billion at NYS.
Current Public Service and Youth Affairs PS Francis Owino did not also respond to our queries.