Francis Meja, the former National Transport and Safety Authority (NTSA) director general, is the richest of the nine nominees picked by President William Ruto to fill vacant posts at the Public Service Commission (PSC).
Mr Meja declared his net worth to be Sh322 million, beating former Principal Secretary and nominee for PSC vice chairperson Mary Wanjira Kimonye, who put her wealth at Sh76.24 million.
Ms Kimonye said her wealth plunged from the Sh273.8 million that she declared in 2020 during vetting for the position of Principal Secretary after the Covid-19 pandemic eroded her shareholding in an airline business that later collapsed.
“When I was vetted for the position of Principal Secretary in 2020, I had a shareholding in a family business. The agency that my husband had was affected by Covid-19,” Ms Kimonye said.
"When Covid-19 hit, the business collapsed. We were left with a liability to creditors of over Sh15 million," said Ms Kimonye, the current head of governance in the Executive Office of the President.
Ms Kimonye said her net worth of Sh273.8 million was also eroded by the sale of her old car worth Sh500,000.
Ms Kimonye, Mr Meja, and other nominees who were vetted did not disclose the breakdown of their wealth.
Those vetted for the position of member of the PSC by the National Assembly’s Committee on Labour include Dr Irene Cherotich Asienga, Boya Molu, Joan Andisi Machayo, and Dr Francis Otieno Owino.
“I have tabulated what constitutes my net worth and is in the questionnaire that you presented to me to fill,” Mr Meja said without disclosing sources of his wealth. Mr Meja served as the founding NTSA director general for six years.
Harun Ali Hassan, the current Chief Executive of the National Council for Persons with Disabilities (NCPWD) put his net worth at Sh59.6 million.
Dr Irene Cherotich Asienga, a former commissioner at the Commission on Revenue Allocation (CRA) put her net worth at Sh102.5 million.
Boya Molu, the former Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC) said he is worth Sh160 million.
Mr Molu who joined the IEBC in February 2017 faced tough questioning over his role in the annulled 2017 presidential election. He said the Supreme Court annulled the presidential election processes and not the election results.
“I think I should not be barred from holding office for acts or omissions during the 2017 presidential election since we joined the commission six months before the General Election,” Mr Molu said.
“We have since perfected the electoral processes and the Supreme Court in 2022 unanimously upheld the General Election results.”
Joan Andisi Machayo, the current PSC Deputy Commission Secretary told the vetting panel chaired by Runyenjes MP Muchangi Karemba that her net worth is Sh204 million.
Wealth declaration for those seeking top public offices is anchored in the Constitution and is meant to allow the Ethics and Anti-Corruption Commission (EACC) to fight corruption.
Parliament has in the past failed to approve proposed laws that sought to remove restrictions on Kenyans seeking to access information on income, assets, and liabilities of persons holding public office as part of efforts to fight corruption.
At present, public officers are expected to declare their wealth every two years, but the information contained in the wealth declaration forms remains confidential and can only be accessed by those in pursuit of public interest.
