John Mututho rejected by House committee for Nacada boss

A House committee has recommended the rejection of the nomination of anti-alcohol campaigner John Mututho as chairman of an anti-drug abuse agency.

The National Security and Administration Committee said that although Mr Mututho is suited for the job as chairman of the National Authority for the Campaign Against Drug Abuse, he should first clear pending court cases.

The House is set to discuss the report on Wednesday afternoon. If the report is adopted, Mr Mututho’s nomination will be rejected. It can only be approved if an amendment for that is made to the report.

ANTI-GRAFT REPORT

The decision to ask MPs not to approve Mr Mututho’s nomination was made at a meeting on Tuesday morning after the committee examined a report from the Ethics and Anti-Corruption Commission.

In a letter to the committee, the EACC said there are pending criminal and civil suits filed against Mr Mututho and Countryside Supplies Ltd, a company associated with him.

The criminal case is a charge of obtaining Sh41.3 million by falsely presenting documents that his company had paid tax on bedside lockers to the Kenyatta National Hospital and therefore deserved a refund.

EACC’s predecessor had also filed a civil suit on behalf of the hospital for the recovery of the Sh41.3 million from Mututho and Countryside Supplies. Both are pending in court.

“The allegations touch on the personal integrity of the candidate and are likely to erode public confidence in the integrity of his office,’ EACC Secretary Halakhe Waqo said in the letter.

On Tuesday morning, a majority of MPs present agreed with the recommendation that Mr Mututho’s nomination be rejected.