Kabale Tache has been appointed CEO of the National Land Commission following a rigorous recruitment process that was concluded on Monday.
Tache is currently the acting commission secretary/CEO and substantively has been the Director of Human Resource Management and Administration.
Following the interview, Tache emerged as the top candidate out of the seven who had been shortlisted.
By the close of the deadline for applications on May 9, 2023, NLC had received 172 applications, of which seven were shortlisted.
A seasoned human resource professional with more than 20 years of experience, Tache holds a Master's and Bachelor's degree in Business Administration.
She is a full Member of the Institute of Human Resource Management (IHRM) and a Certified Human Resources Professional.
The new Secretary/CEO brings a wealth of experience to the position, having worked previously as an acting secretary/CEO in the commission.
The successful candidate displayed a laudable understanding of the commission's mandate, which is important in steering the work of the Commission Secretariat.
Tache is a highly experienced professional with an extensive background in leadership in various organisations specialising in human resources.
She previously worked at the Constitution Implementation Commission and Postbank.
It is expected that Tache will lead the secretariat towards helping the commission to achieve its constitutional and statutory mandates of safeguarding public land for the benefit of all Kenyans.
As acting NLC CEO, she was instrumental in the development and implementation of the Commission’s Strategic Plan 2021-26, which currently guides the implementation of the commission’s constitutional and statutory mandates.
On Tuesday, the commission congratulated the new CEO on her appointment, saying it is confident that Tache has what it takes to steer the National Land Commission to the next level.
Months ago, NLC embarked on a recruitment drive of its new CEO as the term of suspended CEO Tom Chavangi ended.
Though Chavangi remained the substantive CEO, he was suspended in 2018, when he was charged with economic crimes.
The Anti-Corruption and Economic Crimes Act requires any public servant charged with economic crimes to proceed on suspension on half basic pay.
Without a substantive CEO, the commission appointed Kabale Tache to act.
Tache steadied the NLC ship after it was hit by negative publicity, when top officials were charged with economic crimes.
In an advertisement, the commission calls for applications from “suitably qualified persons for the position of Commission Secretary”.
The CEO will serve for five years, which can be renewed once.
The NLC Act requires candidates to hold a degree from a university recognised in Kenya, and have had at least five years’ experience at senior management level.
Other requirements include knowledge and experience in any one of the following fields: public administration, finance and accounting, law, economics, management, land and natural resources, or any other relevant field.
The candidates should also meet the requirements of Chapter Six of the Constitution.
Tache started acting before the inaugural group of commissioners, led by former chairman Prof Muhammad Swazuri, left at the end of their term.
As the commissioners were departing and with their successors not yet appointed, Tache ensured the commission continued functioning until the swearing-in of the current team of commissioners, led by chairman Gershom Otachi, appointed in November 2019.
By the time Otachi's team was reporting, the tension and anxiety that had clouded the commission following the arrest and prosecution of some of the top officials had subsided, giving the new commission room to settle in with little to no fuss.
In a past interview with the Star, Tache said the commission had brought significant corporate governance measures towards attaining seamless operations and cohesion.
NLC is a strategic land reform institution established by Articles 67 and 248 of the Constitution that, among other functions, manages public land on behalf of the national and county governments.
It is also charged with resolving historical land injustices.
After a turbulent start to its existence, when it experienced a lot of tension with the Ministry of Land, the commission is in its 10th year of existence.
At the peak of the fights with the ministry, the commission was kicked out of Ardhi House, where it had been housed from its onset.
The commission in 2021 procured and furnished its new office space in Upper Hill.
As Tache takes office as a new CEO, significant challenges remain.
These include insufficient budget allocation by the Exchequer, hindering the full implementation of its programmes, projects and activities.
