In what could turn out to be a stinging indictment of the vetting process of State officers, the fate of seven recently appointed Kenyan diplomats is in limbo because host countries have kept their accreditation in abeyance.
And six months after being vetted by Parliament and consequently appointed by President Uhuru Kenyatta, the seven; Ndegwa Muhoro (Malaysia), Hassan Wario (Austria), Benjamin Langat (Namibia), Johnson Kimani Ondieki (Turkey), Richard Ekai (Russia), Sarah Serem (China) and Paddy Ahenda (Qatar) have yet to report to their foreign duty stations.
According to Ahmednasir, Mr Muhoro was not worthy of holding any public office.
Posting on his Twitter platform in 2018 , the respected city lawyer exclaimed: “I will definitely make my representation to the parliamentary committee that will vet former CID Director Mr. Muhoro who was nominated as ambassador. He isn’t worthy of holding any public office…”
I will definitely make my representation to the parliamentary committee that will vet former CID Director Mr. Muhoro who was nominated as ambassador. He isn’t worthy of holding any public office…
— Ahmednasir Abdullahi SC (@ahmednasirlaw) July 13, 2018
This was not the first time Ahmednasir seemed to have ‘bad blood’ with the former CID boss.
In April 2017, Ahmednasir alleged that the Director of Criminal Investigations had attempted to kill him twice.
In a statement at the Kilimani Police Station, the lawyer named two police officers attached to Mr Muhoro’s office as having attempted to kill him.
The top lawyer revealed: “I have reliably learnt from credible sources within the police service that, on that night, a car with four Criminal Investigations Department officers trailed me immediately I left the hotel on my way home.
“Mr Muhoro is an integral part of a group of individuals who want to defraud properties from the beneficial of Tatu City,” he added without mentioning who had instructed the officers.
Mr Muhoro, who is a career police officer having served in various ranks and stations since his enlistment in 1991, was appointed as the CID boss in 2016 following his service as Commandant of the Kenya Police Staff College between 2008 and 2010.
Although it is rare, countries usually reject ambassadors because of their own intelligence agency’s advisory and often would employ delaying tactics until the sending country reads between the lines and appoints a replacement.
And for Muhoro, his former position as Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI), might have worked against his appointment as ambassador to Malaysia.
According to a source that sought anonymity, the Malaysian government has blocked his appointment citing his alleged blighted record during his tenure at Mazingira House, the DCI headquarters.
During his vetting process by the National Assembly, Muhoro whose first appointment to Israel as an envoy did not materialise, was confronted with allegations of spate of extra-judicial killings and unsolved high-profile murders during his tenure.
It is on that premise that sources revealed to People Daily, the Malaysian government under the new tough Prime Minister Mahathir Bin Mohamad blocked the former sleuth’s ambassadorial job.
While appearing before the National Assembly’s Defence and Foreign Relations Committee, Muhoro faced intense scrutiny over his record as the country’s top criminal investigator. In a memorandum to Parliament, outspoken lawyer Ahmednasir Abdullahi asked the committee not to approve Muhoro’s nomination, citing alleged threats to his (Ahmednasir’s) life.
Is Parliament worthy of vetting public servants?