This archive report was first published on 23 July 2019.
On July 23, 2019, the National Land Commission (NLC) announced the shortlisting of 11 candidates for the position of chairman, including former Kenya Revenue Authority Commissioner General John Njiraini.
Additionally, 50 others were slated for interviews as commissioners of the commission, with eight vacancies available at the agency.
Politicians were also among those shortlisted after a court allowed their participation in the process.
The shortlisted candidates for the chairperson's position include lawyers Gerishom Otachi and Paul Musili, Mwenda Makathimo, Robert Kilimo, Humphrey Njuguna, Naomi Wagereka, Tiyah Galgalo, former Nyeri MP Esther Murugi, and Hussein Farah.
Interviews for the chairperson's position were set to begin on Monday, July 29, while those for the commissioner's position were scheduled to start on July 30 and conclude on August 2.
The panel appointed to recruit a new team at the commission includes Kennedy Kihara from the Office of the President, former chair of the National Construction Authority Steven Oundo, commercial and property law expert Esther Njiru Omulele, National Gender and Equality Commission member Priscilla Nyokabi, and University of Nairobi don Mairura Omwenga.
They will shortlist two qualified applicants for the position of chairperson and 16 for members and forward them to the President.
Upon receipt of the names of successful applicants, the President will nominate the chairperson and eight members within 14 days and forward the names to the National Assembly for vetting within 21 days.
If Parliament approves the names within seven days, they will be forwarded to the President for formal appointment through a Gazette within seven days.
The nine-member Muhamed Swazuri-led team completed its tenure at NLC on February 19, 2019, after the mandatory non-renewable six-year term.
