Barely 15 months into the job, Independent Police Oversight Authority (IPOA) CEO Maina Njoroge has been fired. Njoroge took over from Joel Mabonga who retired in 2018, his appointment was however mired with controversies that pushed State House to wade in and issued a directive on the hiring criteria.
Reliable sources reveal that power struggles led to the exit of Mr Njoroge, nothing can be pinpointed out as the reason why he was fired. The board wanted him out. There are a number of board members who claimed that it was hard for them to work with a man they not appoint. The rogue board was sworn in on October 5th 2018 and Njoroge was part of it as the secretary.
Mr Njoroge was given marching orders on Friday after he fell out with a section of the board. The new board is not like the previous that was led by Macharia Njeru and worked on part time basis, this one works full time. This model has generated too much friction between the board and the executive. It’s not business or professional, it is personal. The board wants a puppet CEO.
IPOA receives an annual budget of one billion shillings but there has been push and pulls when it comes to spending the money. Mr Njoroge before his full appointment served in an acting capacity for almost ten months. He also served as the director of business service for five years before becoming a CEO.
