The controversy surrounding disgraced Kenya National Highways Authority (KeNHA) Chairman Eng. Wangai Ndirangu, who faced heavy opposition for holding two public positions against the Ethics Act, has taken a fresh twist.
In the latest turn of events, this blog is reliably informed that Mr Ndirangu’s term as KeNHA Chair effectively ended this week, and therefore, rendering all business conducted by the engineer null and void.
Today, July 26, 2022, marks 3 years and 4 days since he was controversially appointed to the position on July 22, 2019, by Transport Cabinet Secretary (CS) James Macharia.
The contract was set to run for a period of three (3) years.
Ndirangu has already been taken to court for being in conflict with the Kenya Roads Board Act.
At the time of his contentious appointment, he was an active lecturer at the Jomo Kenyatta University of Agriculture and Technology (JKUAT).
The Roads Act strictly states that KeNHA Chairman must be tapped from a list of six directors nominated by various organisations and must not be a public officer.
The six organisations include tertiary learning institutions, the institution of Engineers of Kenya, Law Society of Kenya, Institute of Certified Public Accountants of Kenya, Institute of Surveyors of Kenya and the Kenya Association of Manufacturers.
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The Ethics Act defines a public officer as a permanent or part-time employee in counties, national government, Parliament and institutions such as public universities.
Bearing this in mind, JKUAT is a state-owned institution, and as such, his position as a civil engineer lecturer makes him a public officer.
By these standards, Ndirangu was already a public officer at the time he was appointed.
