Lobbying for the next KPA board chair intensifies as Kibwana retires

By Tobby Otum

Lobbying has intensified at the Kenya Ports Authority [KPA] for the post of KPA board of directors’ chairman to take over from Joseph Kibwana.

Kibwana’s tenure comes to an end in June after serving for six consecutive years at the helm at the port of Mombasa.

Former Chief of Defence Forces Samson Mwathethe is likely to succeed his former boss who also hails from Kilifi county like Kibwana who he served under while at the Kenya Navy in Mombasa county.

Mwathethe’s first assignment will be to ensure the giant parastatal gets a new KPA managing director to take over from sacked Daniel Manduku.

The exercise to fill Manduku’s position has aborted three times on matters of integrity and the inability of the candidates to score the required points for the job.

During the latest interview former KPA general manager for corporate services Justus Nyarandi scored 80.94 points to emerge the best among six shortlisted candidates interviewed last week for the vacant position.

Nyarandi was sacked alongside the then KPA MD Gichiri Ndua over corruption allegations but is currently Executive Secretary of the Northern Corridor Transit and Transport Coordination Authority (NCTTCA) based in Mombasa county.

Integrity related matters haunted Nyarandi’s quest for the position of KPA Managing Director with a well placed source confirming the government has declined to sanction the process to fill the vacant post at the giant parastatal.

Jimmy Ziro from the private sector was second after he scored 74.12 points during the interviews carried out by a panel of interviewers led by KPA board of directors chairman Joseph Kibwana.

Former NSSF Managing Trustee-turned politician Alex Kazongo who served as KPA general manager finance came third after he scored 72.43 points.

Former Principal Secretary at the Gender Ministry Mwanamaka Mabruki who previously worked at the port came fourth after scoring 70.35 points.

Treasury Cabinet Secretary Ukur Yatani is expected to chart the way forward before end of the week after the elapse of the 45 days notice to complete the recruitment exercise.

Efforts to get comment from Yatani’s office were futile.

By the look of things the government is likely to appoint one of the divisional heads within the port as acting MD until the next financial year.