The Kenya Port Authority (KPA) board has been forced to back to the drawing board in their hunt for a Managing Director after Treasury Cabinet Secretary Ukur Yatani declined the list of nominees submitted to him.
The KPA board which has been conducting interviews for the Managing Director post reportedly interviewed six candidates for the position and shortlisted three. They then submitted the list to CS Yatni who was not impressed.
In a letter dated March 2, 2021, copied to Head of Public Service Joseph Kinyua, and Transport CS James Macharia, Yatani pointed out that none of the names presented to him met the appointment requirements.
Among those in the list were former Lamu Port-South Sudan-Ethiopia-Transport project (LAPSSET) CEO Sylvester Kasuku, former Devolution Principal Secretary Mabruk Mwanamaka, and TMEA East Africa Director James Ng’ang’a.
“I have reviewed the list of names, scores, and ranking of the candidates proposed for appointment as Managing Director, Kenya Ports Authority, and note that all the candidates scored below the desired threshold of 70 percent in the interview,” said CS Yatani in the letter.
He gave the board a 45-day window to rerun the recruitment and complete the exercise.
Former KPA managing director Daniel Manduku tendered his resignation on March 27, 2020, over corruption allegations. The position was advertised in April 2020. Rashid Salim held the position on acting capacity.
