Appointing authorities have been put on the spot after a nominee for a top-level position presented before Parliament questionable credentials that had MPs baffled.
The fissures in the process in question were brought to light during the vetting of Leila Abdi Ali, nominated for the position of commissioner at the Teacher's Service Commission.
During the National Assembly vetting conducted, Leila Ali failed to produce her Kenya Certificate of Primary Education (KCPE) and Kenya Certificate of Secondary Education (KCSE) certificates.
For the second time (Tuesday, March 17), the first being, March 12, when she was before the National Assembly Committee on Education, Leila failed to produce the proof that she went through the basic education system in Kenya.
She was instead armed with a photocopy of Form Four mock exams done in 1996 and a degree from London South Bank University.
Leila had asserted that she had an O-Level certificate had never collected it from the institution.
Members of the committee demanded answers on how the selection panel had recommended Leila Ali's appointment despite the glaring shortcomings in her documents.
Some of the shortcomings highlighted by the selection committee vice-chair Amos Kimunya included inconsistencies on when she graduated from London South Bank University and began working in Kenya.
Additionally, Kimunya pointed out that she lacked the 10-year experience required for the holder of such a position.
The question of her nationality as well cropped up with Leila conceding that she had been born in Mogadishu, Somalia but stated that she was raised in Kajiado County.
“I was born in Mogadishu but I studied in Kenya in Oloitoktok. I see myself as a Kenyan,” stated Leila.
The Teachers Service Commission is an independent government commission tasked with managing resources within the education sector.
The appointed commissioners are meant to oversee that the functions of the body are carried out efficiently.
These include: registering of trained teachers, recruitment and employment of registered teachers, assign employed teachers to public institutions, promote and transfer teachers, enforce disciplinary measures over teachers as well as terminate their employment contract.
