Court suspends Ruto’s decision to remove Rukaria as KNTC chair
By Nancy.Gitonga, February 24, 2023
The Employment and Labour Relations Court has suspended President William Ruto’s decision to revoke the appointment of former chairman of Kenya National Trading Corporation (KNTC) Capt Paul Rukaria to the board.
Justice James Rika also certified the matter as urgent and issued a conservatory order halting Ruto’s decision to appoint Hussein Tene Debasso, as the Chairperson of the Board of Directors of the KNTC for a period of three years pending the inter- partes hearing of the lawsuit by Rukaria on March 28, 2023. “Pending hearing of the application inter partes, Ruto and Attorney General Justin Muturi, their Agents, Representatives, Employees and/ or anyone else under their direction, are barred from effecting or applying Gazette Notice No. 1383 dated February 6, 2023, which purports to de-gazette Rukaria as the Chairperson of the Board of Directors of the Kenya National Trading Corporation,” Justice Rika ordered.
The judge granted President Ruto, Muturi and KNTC 21 days to file their responses in the case.
Retired officer
The orders by the Judge comes after Rukaria on February 17 petitioned the Labour court challenging Ruto and Attorney General Muturi decision to revoking his appointment at the board.
Rukaria, a retired commissioned officer of the Kenya Defence Forces, had been appointed by former president Uhuru Kenyatta on August 5, 2022, four days to the Presidential elections, for a term of three years.
President Ruto, however, revoked the appointment as the Chairperson of the board of directors of KNTC through a gazette notice on February 6, 2023.