Having a senior position in government does not grantee a bed of roses. It has proven to be tough for most people who take up those top positions. Kenya Revenue Authority (KRA) boss John Njiraini’s one-year term extension lapsed on Sunday even as the taxman remained mum about his replacement. Njiraini’s tenure has had its share of controversy, with the ombudsman at one point accusing him of directly taking part in politics contrary to the Public Officers Ethics Act when he attended a fundraising party for Jubilee ahead of the 2017 polls.
Just two weeks ago, Mr Njiraini appointed Kevin Safari as the new commissioner for customs and border control following a near-five-month recruitment exercise to replace Julius Musyoki who retired. Activist Okiya Omtatah’s attempt to remove Njiraini in 2017 also fell apart after the labour court ruled that he was on a fixed term contract, which is permissible under Section 80(2) of the Public Service Commission (PSC) Act that was exempt from the age limit.
Njiriani’s six-year term was renewed controversially last year after President Uhuru Kenyatta sacked the Edward Sambili-led board, which had resolved to replace him having attained the mandatory retirement age of 60 in 2017.
The new board headed by Francis Muthaura then gave him a one-year term which ended on Sunday without any communication as reports emerged that Mr Njiriani may stay at KRA longer. “The commissioner-general is not going any time soon. He got two more years,” a source said.
Efforts to reach both Njiriani and Muthaura for comment were futile. Auditor General Edward Ouko last year said the KRA boss was in office illegally. According to Ouko, he should have gone on terminal leave from September 4, 2017. The former Institute of Certified Public Accountants of Kenya boss replaced Michael Waweru who bowed out in 2012.