Last week, the Kenya Ports Authority advertised the position of a managing director in the local dailies, this was just two weeks after Daniel Manduku resigned.
“The authority is seeking to recruit an individual with a high degree of integrity and professionalism, impeccable administrative capabilities and strategic orientation to fill the position of managing director,” stated the advert signed by the board chairman Gen Joseph Kibwana.
Kenyans are free to apply. The appointment will be on a contractual term of an initial period of three years, renewable based on performance and applications should be sent before April 24.
At the moment, Engineer Rashid Salim, the general manager for marine engineering services at KPA, is now the acting MD at the agency.
Transport and Infrastructure CS James Macharia had said Mr. Rashid will act for a month as the government seeks to find a substantive person.
Rashid was appointed at KPA on September 1, 1982, as a marine engineer trainee and has risen through the ranks, and “has 38 years of experience and knows his job” according to Kibwana.
But are the advertisements just a ploy and has KPA already chosen their 15th boss?
The position is now too hot after the last boss, Manduku resigned on March 27, amid an investigation on questionable tenders.
“I do hereby tender my resignation, which I hope you will accept, effective 1st June 2020. I am immediately proceeding on terminal leave until then,” he said in the letter dated March 27.
Manduku was under investigation for corruption and had been arrested by detectives from the Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI) over a probe into leased extra storage space for containers by the agency in Nairobi in which taxpayers are said to have lost hundreds of millions.
Director of Criminal Investigations George Kinoti announced that his office was investigating tenders worth Sh2.9 billion at the port.
