The Employment and Labour Relations Court in Mombasa has suspended the appointment of John Mwangemi as acting Kenya Ports Authority (KPA) managing director pending hearing of case filed by lobby group challenging the recruitment process.
Mwangemi was appointed to the position on July 1, 2021, following the retirement of Eng. Rashid Salim.
“An order is hereby issued quashing the decision of Cabinet Sectaries Ukuru Yatani(Treasury) and James Macharia (Transport) and KPA and executed by Dr Yatani on July 1, where by Mr Mwangemi was appointed the KPA’s acting MD without following the due process,” Justice Byram Ongaya ruled.
The case filed by the Commission for Human Rights and Justice (CHRJ) has also been certified as urgent.
Mwangemi previously served as Kenya’s ambassador to Djibouti. Before Djibouti, he had served as Kenyan ambassador to Rwanda.
Read: More Wait For New KPA MD As Candidates Fail Interview
In March this year, KPA Board was directed to undertake a fresh recruitment exercise of the Managing Director after candidates who had applied for the position failed interviews.
“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% in the interview”, read a letter by Treasury CS Ukur Yatani to KPA Board Chairman Rtd Gen Joseph Kibwana.
Those who were shortlisted for the post include Former Lamu Port-South Sudan-Ethiopia-Transport Corridor chief executive officer Silvester Kasuku, former Principal Secretary at the Gender ministry Mwanamaka Mabruki, and Murshid Rashid.
Kasuku was third with 63 percent while Mabruki and Rashid scored 67 percent.
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