Court orders NTSA to recruit new Director General

Justice Byrum Ongaya of the Employment and Labour court issued the orders after a petitioner moved to court seeking orders barring the renewal of the contract of Mr. George Njao as Director General of the National Transport Safety Authority (NTSA ) for a further three-year term.

The case has been certified as urgent.

"As it is alleged that the interested party's contract of service has since lapsed, pending the inter-party hearing or further orders by the court, the respondent is at liberty to recruit a qualified person to fill the accruing vacancy in strict compliance with chapter 6 of the constitution of Kenya," reads court order.

In the case, Edwin Oduor Were wants the court to order NTSA to competitively recruit competent individuals for the position of Director General.

He claims that Mr. Njao's term expired last year in October and that he has applied to have his contract extended for a further term of three years despite his tenure being marred with "extreme incompetence". 

"Worse of all the interested party has superintended the authority through deliberate mismanagement and occasioned the deaths of thousands of Kenyas through road carnage which could have been avoided if offered proper leadership and ensured the authority had working systems," submits the petitioner.

He further submits: "The interested party has throughout his tenure as the DG failed the target set for him as the DG to achieve during his tenure yet the board has not bothered to take actions at all and has without shame recommended renewal of his contract as the DG of the authority."

Njao has been named as the interested party in the case with the respondents being the board of directors of NTSA and Ministry of Roads and Transport.

The inter-partes hearing of the case has been scheduled for 19/01/2023.