Kenya Reinsurance Corporation Group Managing Director Hillary Wachinga has asked the High Court to dismiss a petition seeking his removal over claims that he interfered with recruitment and presided over procurement irregularities at the state controlled reinsurer.

Dr Wachinga says the recruitment of twelve senior management and professional positions was conducted lawfully, followed the corporation’s approved human resource policy and remained under the supervision of the Kenya Re Board of Directors.

His response was filed days after the court temporarily stopped the recruitment process, blocking interviews, processing of applications and issuance of appointment letters until a petition filed by Brian Ochieng is heard and determined.

The positions affected by the court order include general managers for Reinsurance Business, Legal Services and Corporate Services, together with chief financial officers for Kenya Re operations in Tanzania and Zambia.

The suspended process further covers the chief executive and principal officer position at Kenya Re Tanzania, alongside vacancies in internal audit, underwriting, project management and executive support.

Other positions listed in the recruitment include Assistant Manager for Internal Audit, Senior Underwriter for Life, Senior Underwriter for International Business Facultative and Treaty and Senior Underwriter for West Africa.

Kenya Re was further recruiting a Senior Project Officer and an Executive Analyst before the court intervened and stopped the process pending the hearing of the challenge.

The petition accuses Dr Wachinga of attempting to control the hiring process and raises questions over access to applications submitted by candidates seeking the senior positions.

Dr Wachinga rejects those claims and says the corporation appointed Eagle HR Consultants to independently manage the process from the application stage to the preparation of final shortlists.

According to his affidavit, the consultant was responsible for receiving applications, profiling candidates, preparing longlists, conducting aptitude and psychometric tests and forwarding qualified applicants to Kenya Re.

He says his role during the early stages of recruitment was limited to receiving progress reports from the consultant and did not include reviewing individual applications or determining who would proceed.

The affidavit states that Kenya Re’s human resource policy had already received approval from the corporation’s board and the National Treasury before the recruitment exercise was started.

Dr Wachinga further disputes claims that a special email account was created to allow him or other senior officials to interfere with the applications submitted by candidates.

He says the account was created by the Kenya Re information technology department to protect the integrity of the exercise and give Eagle HR Consultants controlled access to the applications.

The consultant was issued with special login credentials, according to the affidavit, allowing it to review candidate documents and manage the applications without relying on ordinary corporation email accounts.

Dr Wachinga says the arrangement was introduced to support transparency and prevent unauthorised officers from accessing confidential information submitted by applicants seeking the twelve positions.

The court case has placed Kenya Re’s recruitment process under examination at a time when the corporation is filling senior positions covering its Kenyan operations and regional subsidiaries.

The petition seeking Dr Wachinga’s removal is expected to examine whether the recruitment process was independently controlled by Eagle HR Consultants or whether Kenya Re officials retained influence over the selection of candidates.

The court will further consider whether the creation and control of the recruitment email account protected the process or created room for access by officials outside the appointed consultancy firm.

Until the case is determined, Kenya Re remains barred from continuing with interviews, processing the applications or issuing appointment letters for the affected executive and professional positions.