The EACC has started investigating boardroom wars that have stalled the appointment of the CEO of the Independent Policing Oversight Authority.
Ethics and Anti-Corruption Commission officers visited Ipoa offices on Monday and carted away documents relating to the recruitment of the CEO.
“They asked for all the documents starting from the adverts to the final scores given by each board member during the interviews,” a source told the Star.
On March 14, seven board members out of nine voted to confirm Elema Halake as the CEO after an open and rigorous interview process.
However, the chairperson of Ipoa Anne Makori unceremoniously ended the meeting that would have given Halake the job and declined to sign the minutes.
Halake, who is the acting CEO, scored 43.14 points ahead of NTSA director Christopher Njau who scored 33.29 while a third candidate, Simon Cheruiyot, had 31.14 points.
According to the Ipoa Act, the board’s decision is final.
She wrote to the board later informing them that she had sent the first two top candidates (Halake and Njau) for security vetting although all shortlisted candidates received security clearance before the interviews.
A number of furious board members, unhappy with the decision of Makori, described her decision illegal, dictatorial, dangerous and unacceptable.
“It is ridiculous that the chair[person] purports to know government, and government policies, yet she [flouts] every known policy,” wrote a member of the board in a string of emails seen by the Star.
Makori has denied any wrongdoing.
Board members who voted in Halake are of the view the chairperson is uncomfortable with him for reasons she had not openly stated.
“You have no veto powers or any powers whatsoever to direct the board. The structure of leadership and decision-making in Ipoa is well-grounded in the Act,” the board member said in an email.
“The buck stops with the board. Any action outside board resolution is illegality, null and void.”
Yet another board member accused the chairperson of poor leadership, pride, dictatorship and constantly thriving in chaos and disharmony.
The board members claimed that the chairperson made her driver her personal assistant and copies him all board emails, including allowing him to occupy her office.
“The chair has reduced the office of the chairperson to a common marketplace contrary to Article 73 of the Constitution that demands a public officer respects all people,” the board said.
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