You Are Too Old, MPs Tell Uhuru's Ambassadorial Nominees, Challenge Them to Reject Jobs
Six ambassadorial nominees had a hard time defending themselves before a parliamentary committee over old age.
The six appeared before the National Assembly’s Defense and Foreign Relations Committee last week for vetting following their nomination to various diplomatic positions by President Kenyatta.
Five of the six nominees are aged over 60 years while one is 49 years old. The 49-year-old is the nominee for Kenya’s permanent representative to the United States in New York Martin Kimani, the former co-secretary of the Building Bridges Initiative (BBI) taskforce.
Those aged 60 and above include former Kenya Navy commander Ngewa Mukala who has been picked as Kenya’s ambassador to Khartoum, Sudan, Jean Kimani (UN-Habitat), Benson Ogutu (Moscow, Russia), Catherine Mwangi (Pretoria, South Africa), and Samuel Nandwa (Juba, South Sudan).
Some members of the committee felt the nominees are ‘too old’ and challenged them to decline the nominations in favor of younger persons.
“You are 60 years old. There are people who have completed school and are looking for jobs. What makes you think you are suitable for this appointment yet there are young people who want jobs. Don’t you think you should decline this nomination in favor of a younger person?” Central Imenti MP Moses Kirima asked one of the nominees.
Mukala, who has been nominated as Kenya’s ambassador to Sudan, responded by saying that it would be a lack of discipline to reject an appointment by the President.
“It is true I’m 60. But I’m retired not tired. Being in the military, it is indiscipline to say no when the Head of State gives you an appointment. It is the highest level of indiscipline and I’m not going to do it,” said Mukala.
Others cited their vast experiences as the reason why they deserve the appointment while others had no defense at all.
“In 2013, I was posted as High commissioner to Botswana and later posted to the Europe and Commonwealth directorate. I retired last year and started a consultancy before I was nominated,” said Jean Kimani.
Ambassador Ogutu said: “Experience cannot be gained when young. It can only be gained when old. I believe the experience I have will be key in advancing the country’s interests in Russia.”
Comments (9)
Why discriminate the nominees on the basis of their age? Next time they will be discriminated based on religion, gender, etc! These MOs have become a major stumbling block to Kenya’s democracy! I feel ashamed to call these MPs our law makers. They are mere instruments of doom and they should all be fired!
They are retired with pensions.
They should not be eligible to apply for those jobs.
In Kenya, it's OK to discriminate by age. That's why you find job ads requiring candidates not to be older than a certain age, mostly 45,35,etc.
@Akinyi, I concur without your position.Qualified candidate should get the job, whether 70,or26.This is not a heavy lifting job where youth,and muscle is the deal breaker.
Uhuru Kenyatta should stop disturbing retirees.
People are enjoying their retirement and here come drunk Uhuru Kenyatta with his job offers.
Retired government officials should be disqualified from taking up any government position once they retire.
This is why we need secession.
These are royalists of UHURU and RAILA.
ALL THESE ARE POLITICAL APPOINTEES.
KENYA HAS IT'S OWNER'S.
It is a requirement in Kenya if you work in the government you must retire at 55.No discrimination there is a very high rate of unemployment in Kenya and the government is playing its part to ease or reduce some of this unemployment.Presidential appointees should also be no exception.One even admitted that she was in consultancy and was recalled surely while others have been tarmacking for years.It is a fallacy that experience only comes with age how will the youth gain experience if they are never given the opportunity.Stop with this old people if you are already on a pension surely give someone else a chance so that they too can work some years to get that pension.Unfortunately Uhuru Kenyatta is clueless he is busy appointing his buddies and returning favors so that they can pass his shitty BBI crap so that his relatives and friends never relinquish power.God save Kenya
Guest, differentiate between appointments and employment. Moody Awori was appointed at 90,can he be GoK employee? No
Since when is the ambassador position a jobs program? Most ambassadors regardless of country tend to be well connected to the heads of state as they are their direct representatives. Expecting Uhuru or any head of state to call the local unemployed kahuni who just graduated college but is unemployed would be silly and unrealistic.