The Presidential Strategic Communications Unit (PSCU) has distanced the Presidency from a widely circulated letter purportedly from Head of Public Service Joseph Kinyua.
A statement termed the letter as fake and disclosed that a report had been made with the Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI) to identify its source.
In the letter, Kinyua seemingly declared that President Uhuru Kenyatta's directive which saw procurement and accounting officers step aside for fresh vetting was still in effect in spite of a court ruling that suspended it on Wednesday.
"Let me restate that every directive carried by the letter is still in force and every document or bit about the information about the officers outlined therein is still required...This is despite any occurence that may have happened after the directive," it read in part.
The Employment and Labor Relations court suspended the directive until 13 June when the case by activist Okiya Omtatah will be heard and determined.
[caption caption="The notice issued by PSCU"]
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Omtatah had argued that the President was taking over functions of the Public Service Commission (PSC) as he questioned the legality of the move.
"The directive was a mere roadside declaration and is an abuse of delegated legislation by the executive.
"The circular issued by the first respondent was subjectively created through an irregular, hurried, arbitrary and opaque process that did not involve public participation, and violated express provisions of the Constitution and legislation," his application read in part.
Members of the President's inner circle maintained that the ruling by Justice Onesmus Makau was 'corruption fighting back'.
"Whereas the Judiciary shouldn’t be condemned wholesale, from today’s ruling by the Labour Relations Court stopping vetting of public officers two things are now clear for all to see 1). CORRUPTION is fighting back 2) Agents of IMPUNITY have found refuge in the COURT corridors," tweeted Chief of Staff Nzioka Waita.
He further questioned how Omtatah had managed to secure several ex-parte orders in the corridors of justice, hinting at collusion between judiciary staff and unnamed entities.
[caption caption="Nzioka Waita"]
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