Public Service Cabinet Secretary Margaret Kobia on Sunday, October 27, disclosed why former Othaya MP Mary Wambui was picked to serve as the chairperson of the National Employment Authority (NEA) board.
Appearing on Anne Kiguta's talk show on K24 dubbed Punchline, Kobia explained that the job was not suitable for a young person because they lack the requisite experience and need more time to learn.
She went on to add that people who are given such assignments don't have frequent meetings and most young people would not sustain their livelihoods with the meagre allowances that the board members receive.
“If you appoint a 25-year-old to chair a board, they will feel inadequate because they lack experience.
"And this is not a full-time job, it pays so little. They only sit quarterly; it is not about the old versus the young. It is about the skills you bring to the table at the time,” Kobia explained.
Further, she revealed that she was not pleased by the attacks that were directed at Wambui over her appointment, adding that there were many older men who had been offered similar positions yet there were no protests.
“I did not take it very kindly that Mary Wambui was being dragged into that kind of a conversation that she was not qualified. One, I saw gender issues there. If it was a man, nobody would have talked.
In a board you do not make decisions alone, it is a total sum of the skills mix on the table. We did not give Mary a chance to lead this board. Leading at the board is strategic and about policy," she added.
On Wednesday, October 23, the Employment and Labour Relations Court suspended Wambui's appointment following a petition that was filed by the Kenya Young Parliamentarians Association (KYPA).
KYPA argued that she was not qualified under the law, policy and best practice to be the chairperson of NEA.
Watch the video below courtesy of K24:
