Sacked Official Rejects Appointment at NYS

One of the officials sacked from Kenya National Trading Corporation (KNTC) board declined a new appointment in protest.

Hussein Tene Debasso, who was sacked by President William Ruto as the Kenya National Trading Corporation (KNTC) board chairperson, declined a new appointment at the National Youth Service (NYS).

Debasso did not give reasons for declining a new appointment as a member of the board of the National Youth Service.

“I Hussein Tene Debasso, immediate chairman, Kenya National Trading Corporation, wish to thankfully acknowledge my appointment as member of the Board, National Youth Service vide Gazette Notice of 15th October 2024,” he said in a statement.

“Owing to personal reasons, I have written to the President of the Republic of Kenya declining the appointment.”

Public Service Cabinet Secretary Justin Muturi had on November 15, 2024, appointed Debasso as a member of the National Youth Service Council until February 9, 2026.

Muturi revoked the appointment of Ali Sahal Idris.

Ruto had on the same date, November 15, 2024, appointed Evans Kidero as the chairperson of the KNTC board for a period of three years after revoking the appointment of Debasso through Gazette Notice No.14795.

His problems had stemmed to boardroom wars at the KNTC.

Debasso had opposed the directive by the Investment Trade and Industry Cabinet Secretary Salim Mvurya that the KNTC board appoint Lucy Anangwe as the corporation’s managing director.

The board chairman had refused to approve the appointment of Anangwe after her name was adversely mentioned in a special audit by the Auditor General over the procurement of Sh6.5 billion edible oil scandal.

Before her appointment as the KNTC Managing Director, Anangwe served as the General Manager of Strategy, Risk, and Compliance.

But at the time of the edible oil scandal, Anangwe served as the KNTC head of Finance and Account Manager.

Anangwe is among three individuals that Marsabit Senator Mohamed Chute claimed were being protected for promotion despite their colleagues whom they were involved with in the scandal being sent home to pave the way for investigations.

The KNTC has been in the spotlight since January 25, 2024, when former Managing Director Pamela Mutua exited the troubled corporation in the wake of a Sh6.5 billion edible oils corruption investigation at the State agency.

Senior officers at the agency are under investigation over the controversial importation of 125,000 tonnes of duty-tree cooking oil.

This is after it emerged in June 2023 that companies owned by individuals linked to the government were single-sourced to procure edible oil through KNTC.

The importation began in October 2022, when the Cabinet gave the go-ahead to KNTC to import the cooking oil as part of a strategy to stabilize the prices of essential household items.

The controversy dogged the exercise after it emerged that KNTC single-sourced companies contracted to bring in the cargo.

The scandal emerged after MPs from the National Assembly’s Agriculture Committee raised concerns over the duty-free import and how the suppliers were identified.

By Kahawtungu