Dead man Re-appointed to a State Job

ICT Cabinet Secretary Joe Mucheru was on Thursday put on the spot for re-appointing a dead man to the Kenya Film Classification Board (KFCB).

Through a Gazette Notice, Mucheru had reappointed the late Robert Kochalle, who died on May 28, 2018, to continue serving in the KFCB board for another three years.

However, through his Twitter handle on Friday, October 18, KFCB boss Ezekiel Mutua came out to defend the CS noting the notice was an honest mistake that had been blown out of proportion.

“In exercise of the powers conferred by Section 11A (e) of the Film and Stage Plays Act… re-appoints Gathoni Kung’u, Robert Kochalle, Nereah Alouch Okanga as members of the Kenya Film Classification Board, for a period of three years,” read the gazette notice.

According to the people’s appointed moral police, the board had presented the notification of Kochalle’s demise for replacement but was accidentally re-appointed.

“Small issue being blown out of proportion. The Board presented the notification to the Ministry for replacement and inadvertently he was reappointed.” said Mutua. 

“It was not CS Mucheru’s mistake at all as the conversation started when KFCB was under under Ministry of Sports and Culture,” he added.

Kochalle passed away on May 29, 2018, at the Aga Khan University Hospital and was a member of the KFCB board.

The deceased had a successful career in the public service serving as the MP for Laisamis between 1992 and 1997.

He then rose to become an assistant minister in the Ministry of Tourism and Wildlife.

Mucheru had been put to task to explain the error, stirring a heated debate online.

Here are some of the reactions from Kenyans following the error.