- The AG’s Human resource Director Ernest Alela said claims are false.
- Gikenyi filed the case at the high court last year claiming that Gitiri has been drawing salaries and allocations from eight public jobs.
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The office of the Attorney General has dismissed claims of acting Council of Legal Education (CLE) CEO Jennifer Gitiri holding eight public jobs.
In response to a case filed by Nakuru-based Dr Gikenyi Magara, the AG’s Human resource Director Ernest Alela said claims that Gitiri represents the Attorney General in the National Council for Law Reporting, Witness Protection Agency and Victim Protection Board are not true.
He said Gikenyi has never written to the office of the Attorney General to seek any information regarding the representation of the Attorney General in the said public entities.
He has accused him of deliberately lying to the court.
This, Alela says is a calculated move to obstruct and interfere with the administration of justice.
Gikenyi filed the case at the high court last year claiming that Gitiri has been drawing salaries and allocations from eight public jobs.
Gikenyi wanted the court to issue orders prohibiting Gitiri from sitting as a Board Member or employee of the Council of Legal Education, Kenya Law Reporting Council(KLRC), Kenya Revenue Authority(KRA), Witness Protection Agency (WPA) and Victim Protection Agency (VPA).
The petitioner told the court that Gitiri holds positions including Deputy Director, Assets Recovery Agency, acting CEO, Council of Legal Education, Corporate Secretary, Assets Recovery Agency and Acting Secretary, Council of Legal Education.
He said she also sits on the Board of Directors of the Kenya Law Reporting Council, Victim Protection Agency and Kenya Revenue Authority as a Representative of KLRC.
He asked the court to stop Gitiri from drawing allowances for sitting on those institutions’ boards until the case is heard and determined
But the AG in its response says Gitiri is remunerated one salary by the office of the attorney general.
In addition, Alela states that Gitiri only holds the position at CLE in acting capacity.
He explains that in September last year, there was staff unrest at the Council of Legal Education which eventually led to the resignation of the then-acting CEO/Secretary of the council, Madam Mary Mutugi.
The council at the time also didn’t have a chairperson following the resignation of Professor Githu Muigai.
The council was left without a CEO and Council Chairperson.
This necessitated immediate intervention.
What followed was the president on October 6 last year appointing Professor Collins Odote as the chairperson of the council.
Three days later, Gitiri was nominated for consideration by the Council of Legal Education to be appointed to manage the council.
She would manage it temporarily pending the recruitment of a CEO for a period not exceeding six months.
The AG decided to nominate Gitiri who as a deputy director in a state corporation has sufficient exposure to handle the situation then.
He emphasizes that Gitiri’s role was only to provide support to the council and their office would continue to remunerate her.
“It is an undisputed fact that the situation at the council has since then cooled down as the process to engage a substantive CEO is underway,”
The Ethics and Anti-corruption Commission (EACC) on the other hand indicate that their investigations into the matter have so far revealed that Gitiri joined the office of the AG and Department of Justice following her appointment to the position of state council in a letter dated 15 November 2012.
She was deployed to the civil litigation department.
They have confirmed claims by the AG that Gitiri had not been appointed in a substantive position at CLE.
“That before her nomination to CLE she was seconded to ARA and her contract had not been terminated. That her nomination to CLE was to facilitate the transition."
The EACC says their probe established that Gitiri was appointed as the designated representative of the Attorney General to the board of the Kenya Revenue Authority effective 10 January last year.
This is a position she will hold for two years.
According to the anti-graft agency, it is the only board position she currently holds.
In closing, EACC states that the Witness Protection Agency confirmed that Gitiri is not a member nor has ever attended any of its board meetings in any capacity.