Attorney General Kihara Kariuki has appealed a ruling by the Employment and Labour Relations Court that quashed the appointment of Mary Wambui as the Chairperson of the National Employment Authority.
In a petition filed at the Court of Appeal on Thursday, Kihara said he was dissatisfied by the decision of the lower court.
In a notice received by petitioners' lawyers Karanja and Mwenje Advocates and seen by the Star, the AG in the petition said the court should reassess at the verdict.
"We do take notice that the respondents herein being dissatisfied by the decision of Hon Justice Onesmus Makau delivered on January 17 in Nairobi, intend to appeal to the Court of Appeal of Kenya against the whole of the said decision," read part of the petition.
National Treasury CS Ukur Yatani, then in charge of the Labour Ministry, through a Gazette notice dated October 14, 2019, appointed Wambui as the chairperson of NEA for a period of three years.
But the Kenya Young Parliamentarians Association, led by Nairobi Senator Johnson Sakaja, moved to court seeking redress over the matter.
Sakaja said the appointment went against Section 10(2) of the National Employment Authority Act as well as the vision of the institution.
It states that a person shall be qualified to serve as the chairperson of the board if they have at least seven years experience in human resource management or its equivalent.
"I have confidence that she has the ability to serve Kenyans in a different capacity but not as the vision carrier and chairperson of the NEA," Sakaja said.
Sakaja said the National Employment Authority's role is to solely focus on the unemployment state of Kenyan youths.
While issuing the ruling last week, Justice Onesmas Makau said her appointment was irregular and was against the law.
The judge added that she was not fit for the position nor did her qualifications match the occupancy of the office.
Wambui is the former Othaya MP who succeeded former President Mwai Kibaki.
She lost the seat in 2014 after the Court of Appeal nullified her election, ruling that it was marred by irregularities.
Wambui's appointment to NEA drew sharp criticism from various quarters, including KOT who questioned Wambui's ability to manage an employment agency at the time when the majority of Kenyans are jobless.
