Hard blow for Waititu as boss of Rerec rejects offer to steering committee

President of the Rural Electrification and Renewable Energy Corporation (Rerec), Simon Gicharu, rejected the appointment of Kiambu Governor Ferdinand Waititu as head of a committee to consider pending bills. .

Mr. Waititu, through his Executive Finance Committee member, Francis Kigo Njenga, on Friday published in the Kenya Gazette the names of officials who will sit on the Council to help clear a backlog of bills, some of which are inherited from the administration of former Governor William Kabogo.

But Gicharu told the nation on Monday that he had never been consulted by the governor or his government before his appointment.

COURTESY

"Basic courtesy should have required that they contact me before making such an announcement, at least they could have let me know if I had the knowledge, skills and time to carry out such a task. will not take office, "said Dr. Gicharu, founder of Mount Kenya University.

"It is reported to members of the public that the county executive committee member responsible for finance and economic planning has formed the Bills Committee," said Kiambu's Finance Minister.



The opinion of the gazette.

The opinion of the gazette.
BUSY GICHARU

Mr. Gicharu said that, apart from those who saw him in the Kenya Gazette, Rerec's work and other professional activities would not allow him to take time to carry out another public task. .

"We can not afford any distractions as we try to align our goal at Rerec with the four main goals of the president," he said.

Governor Waititu is currently fighting to be heard by a court after being accused of abuse of power and conspiracy to defraud the public, some 58 billion shillings.

The other members of the committee, who should finish their work within 30 days, are Joel Ngeru, Hannah Muchai, Peter Njenga and Edwin Njuguna.

DEVELOPMENT

Mr. Gicharu, from Kiambu County, is also a member of a forum that monitors developments in the region.

Doing business with the counties has become risky for entrepreneurs because of late payments, bankruptcy lawsuits and labor disputes.

Last December, the suspended National Treasury CS Henry Rotich ordered an audit of all pending county bills after it became clear that suppliers, particularly those dealing with governors resigned when elections in 2017, were struggling to get paid by the new plans. .

County governments owed more than 100 billion shillings to contractors and suppliers in 2018.

Most of these pending bills have not yet been settled, despite a presidential order requiring their approval before the end of the fiscal year, in June 2019.