This archive report was first published on 8 August 2019.
Former Kenya Revenue Authority (KRA) commissioner-general John Njiraini has withdrawn his application to chair the National Land Commission (NLC), just one week after being shortlisted and interviewed for the position.
According to a letter dated August 6, 2019, addressed to the selection panel's chairperson, Pricilla Nyokabi, Mr. Njiraini cited the pursuit of other interests as the reason for his withdrawal.
Mr. Njiraini appeared before the Nyokabi-led panel on July 29, 2019, alongside 10 other candidates seeking to succeed Dr. Muhammad Swazuri, whose six-year term ended in February 2019.
The NLC chairperson's job is one of the most challenging assignments, characterized by slow land reforms, infighting among commissioners, and several cases of corruption that have tarnished the institution's image.
Dr. Swazuri was ousted from office by the Ethics and Anti-Corruption Commission (EACC) amid allegations of fraud, with the EACC suspecting that NLC officers had inflated land compensation rates for nearly every public infrastructure development made in the past six years.
Mr. Njiraini left KRA in June 2019, after serving as commissioner-general for six years. The KRA boss does not undergo parliamentary vetting.
Before his ascension to the top position at the tax agency, he faced criticism from parliamentarians for demanding taxes on salaries and allowances paid to MPs.
The selection panel is expected to pick two out of the 10 applicants and forward their names to President Uhuru Kenyatta, who will nominate one of them for the position of NLC chairperson.
