A senior government official who was set to get an official promotion lost it after it was discovered that his State issued vehicle had illegal number plates.
John Akoten, who has been the Acting CEO of the Anti- Counterfeit Agency (ACA) for the past four years, was passed over for the top position over the issue of the fake number plates.
Through a notice, Trade and Industrialization Cabinet Secretary Adan Mohamed appointed Elema Halake Harbale as the new boss locking out Mr Akoten from taking up the position.
“The Cabinet Secretary for Industry, Trade, and Co-operative appoints Mr Halake to be the Chief Executive Director of the ACA for a period of three years with effect from 12th April 2017,” the notice stated.
Mr Akoten's troubles began when he was implicated in a number plate forgery scandal where he was accused of infringing on the government directive that requires all parastatals to maintain their standard blue number plates.
It was discovered that the former boss had replaced the number plates on his official car with fake ones acquired illegally along Kirinyaga Road so as to carry out his private business using the Government car.
His illegal doings came to light following an accident in December 2014 in which his car was involved. Due process in handling accident cases exposed the illegal change of the car registration plates.
Thereafter, the court case in 2016 revealed that he had given his driver Sh2,500 to purchase the fake plates for his government-issued Volkswagen Passat.
The senior state official defended his actions stating that he had done so for private and security reasons when it also emerged that he had altered the tracking components of one other vehicle. Due to the revelations, Mr Akoten will, in turn, take back his former position as Director of Research and Awareness at the Agency.
Meanwhile, the new boss, Mr Halake, boasts an impressive track record currently serving as the Director of Investigations at Independent Police Oversight Authority (IPOA) and holds a certificate in Criminal Justice from the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) National Academy in Virginia, US.
Read Also: Revealed: Anti- Forgery Boss Purchased Fake Number Plates Knowingly
