This archive report was first published on 18 October 2019.
Kenya's Information and Communication Cabinet Secretary Joe Mucheru has sparked outrage after re-appointing a dead man to a top seat at the Kenya Film Classification Board (KFCB). The appointment, made through a gazette notice dated October 16, 2019, named the late Robert Kochalle as a board member.
According to the notice, Kochalle was to take up his post and earn a salary from October 21, 2019. However, the appointment has raised serious questions about the quality of background checks nominees undergo before being appointed to government departments and agencies.
The appointment has also left KFCB exposed to scrutiny, considering that it sponsored Kochalle's obituary in June 2018. Following online outrage, KFCB boss Ezekiel Mutua defended the appointment, stating that it was not a mistake by CS Mucheru, but rather a result of a conversation that started when KFCB was under the Ministry of Sports & Culture.
However, his explanations have done little to stop angry Kenyans demanding answers. The appointment has been widely criticized, with many taking to social media to express their outrage. As one Twitter user put it, 'This cannot be small because the man is entitled to a salary, allowances and holds a public position, which had we not raised, would have passed.'
Following public uproar, the minister replaced Kochalle with his widow, Charity, on Friday.
