THE Kenya Airports Authority has fired managing director Lucy Mbugua amid investigations into a passenger transfer services tender at the Jomo Kenyatta International Airport.
General manager finance John Thumbi and acting airport engineer Christopher Warutere have also been sent packing.
The three were among six KAA officials suspended for three months on May 20 following a presidential directive.
President Uhuru Kenyatta questioned the leasing of five buses at more than Sh11 million per month and ordered the arrest of those involved in the tender.
The buses ferried passengers between the aircraft and terminals.
“The board ... on Friday the 26th June 2015 took action on the officers of the state corporation who have been on interdiction,” KAA chairman David Kimaiyo said in a statement dated June 27.
He said the announcement was part of the board’s commitment to keep the public updated on the status of the ongoing investigations into Apron Bus Services.
The board lifted the suspension of procurement manager Lilian Okidi and head of examination Martin Kamau, who have been called back to work.
KAA legal counsel Victor Arika remains suspended “pending further investigations”.
“You will be updated on the progress,” said Kimaiyo.
Mbugua was serving another suspension from office, as she was one of the Cabinet Secretaries and heads of parastatals sent home in April to allow for investigations into corruption allegations.
Mbugua has served three suspensions this year. In February, the board suspended her and four other managers over the controversial award of a tender to run duty-free shops at JKIA to Dufry International.
The five had been cleared by the board less than a week before the presidential directive.
The buses, whose tender approval was sought and granted in 2011, were acquired through an open tender later awarded to Relief & Mission Logistics at cost of $120,000
(Sh11.8 million) per month.
On June 2, KAA told the Parliamentary Committee on Transport that it was forced it to lease rather than buy the buses due to "inadequate resources".
Infrastructure PS John Musonik and the KAA management appeared before the committee to justify the controversial lease.
The committee chaired by Starehe MP Maina Kamanda was probing the Sh11.8 billion tender.
Acting managing director Yatich Kangugo said KAA considered all options before issuing the tender to Relief & Mission Logistics.
The committee questioned why the authority had not spent Sh200 million given by World Bank to buy seven apron buses, funds given after the August 2013 fire at JKIA.
