Battle lines drawn as KICC board split over appointment of new CEO

What were initially internal letters from staff to EACC and Ombudsman offices have now been made public, exposing the infighting that has, among other things, pushed the institution to the brink of financial insolvency.

Four of the five independent members of the KICC board wrote to the Ethics and Anti-Corruption Commission on October 15, 2023, requesting that acting KICC CEO Patricia Ondeng's appointment be terminated and a replacement found within the KICC staff.

The board had scheduled for replacements to be done and have a new CEO installed but the board was hit by divisions over the appointment

While the independent board members claim to have begun the recruitment process to find a suitable candidate's replacement by conducting oral interviews and having psychometric tests performed by the Kenya School of Government, another faction led by board chair Adelina Mwau appears to have had a parallel recruitment plan.

While the independent board claims to be at the second phase of the recruitment roadmap, which includes clearance of the candidates by the relevant government agencies, the faction headed by the chair appears to be ahead in its recruitment. 

In a letter dated October 11, 2023 under item number one, the chair said: "For the record, the full board had a meeting on September 29th, 2023 reviewed the recruitment report ready for submission to the Cabinet Secretary."

Meanwhile, the independent board members poured cold water on the report, saying, "The board only reviewed the report on aptitude tests and did not receive the reports from other government agencies such as NIS, DCI, KRA, HELB and the EACC to asses the integrity of various candidates.

The independent board members, in letters copied to Head of Public Service Felix Koskei and Tourism Cabinet Secretary Dr. Alfred Mutua, have accused the acting KICC CEO of making decisions that expose the organisation to probable losses.

In the documents, the independent board faulted the acting CEO for transferring procurement responsibility for renovation works amounting to Ksh.1.9 billion to KDF for hosting the Africa Climate Summit without the approval of the board.

She is further accused of failing to secure the board's approval for the introduction of the Ksh.1.9 billion budget, which in essence makes the KICC budget Ksh.3 billion despite the budget being a preserve of the board.

The acting CEO at the centre of the row is further accused of transferring Ksh.400 million to the Ministry of Defence without the approval of the board and without the approved budget, exposing KICC to financial risks.

Other allegations include accusations of misappropriation of Ksh.20 million, failure to obtain board approval in the KICC at 50 jamboree and refusal to align KICC bank accounts signing mandate.