Airports ordered to reinstate Gichuki

PRIME Minister Raila Odinga has directed the Kenya Airports Authority board to desist from victimising managing director Stephen Gichuki over the controversy surrounding the award of the tender for the expansion of the Jomo Kenyatta International Airport. The PM also ordered the board to reinstate Gichuki into office.

Raila told Parliament yesterday that investigations on circumstances under which the board ordered the management to cancel the Sh55 billion airport expansion project, known as Greenfield project, was still ongoing. Raila said the Cabinet sub-committee on the infrastructure had received the report of a task force it had appointed.

He said the report will be presented to the Cabinet today. However, MPs questioned the role of Parliament in the matter. MPs Isaac Rutto, Najib Balala, Njoroge Baiya, Charles Kilonzo and Lucas Chepkitony accused the executive of intimidating witnesses who appear before parliamentary committees.

Rutto accused the PM of belittling parliament’s oversight role. Raila, however, insisted parliament had acted “prematurely” in investigating the matter because a “wrong or a right” had not been established.