ICT Cabinet Secretary Joe Mucheru has finally revoked the appointment of Jared Peter Odoyo Kwaga as a member of the Kenya Institute of Mass Communication (KIMC) board, following a public outcry.
Mr. Kwaga’s appointment, a close ally of Migori governor, was gazetted on Friday, February 8 but raised concern since he is one of the key suspects being probed by the EACC, over alleged theft of Ksh.2.5 billion from the Migori County Government.
In September 2018, the Ethics and Anti-Corruption Commission (EACC) said it had frozen the bank accounts of Governor Obado and his close associates; Mr. Kwaga, Ernest Omondi Owino and Joram Opala Otieno, who are accused of being part of an intricate web used to siphon funds from the county’s coffers.
It’s not clear why CS Mucheru had appointed Mr. Kwaga despite his integrity being in question over the graft case which is yet to be concluded.
His appointment was revoked on Monday in a gazette notice dated February 11, 2019.
“IN EXERCISE of the powers conferred by section 5 (2) (h) of the Kenya Institute of Mass Communication Order, 2011, as read together with section 51 of the Interpretations and General Provisions Act, the Cabinet Secretary for Information, Communications and Technology revokes the appointment of Jared Peter Odoyo Kwaga
as a member of the Council of the Kenya Institute of Mass Communication,” reads the notice.
According to EACC, Mr. Kwaga owns several companies and he is being investigated over the possibility that he was one of the proxies Governor Obado used is the alleged theft of billions of public funds.
While the Migori-based businessman has not been found guilty of fraud, his appointment was doomed to raise debate at a time the war on graft tops President Uhuru Kenyatta’a agenda – alongside healthcare, housing, manufacturing and food security.