Sammy Naporosa has taken charge as acting CEO at the troubled Kerio Valley Development Authority after most top managers were arrested and charged over the Arror and Kimwarer dam scandals.
Naprosa was seconded from the Ewaso Ngiro South Development Authority wheee he was managing director.
He was appointed by the East African Community and Regional Development CS Adan Mohammed to help stabilise KVDA operations as the government recruits a new CEO.
On Friday Mohammed also seconded five senior officers from the ministry.
Last month, chief operating officer of the KVDSavid Kimosop was sacked by the board over the
Kipkech was, however, arrested along with 10 other senior staff and charged alongside Treasury CS Henry Rotich and PS Kamau Thugge.
On Friday, Kimosop was arrested as he returned to the country from Congo but was released on a police bond and is expected in court on Monday.
Adan dispatched his Principal Secretary Margaret Mwakima to KVDA to oversee the Naporosa's takeover and the transition.
Mwakima introduced him to the staff at KVDA and assured them that its operations would be normalised.
“KVDA, along with other regional development authorities, play a major role in national development and that is why we are here to ensure continuity at the authority,” she said.
Mwakima said the authority's programmes and budget must be mainstreamed with the national development agenda and also the President’s Big Four agenda.
“We have asked the new management to prioritise their programmes to improve on the efficiency of public investments," she said.
The PS said wastage of public resources at the authority would not be tolerated. KVDA has faced turbulent times in the last three months since the DCI launched investigations into the Sh63 billion Arror and Kimwarer dams that have not been built.
Authority chairman Jackson Kiptanui said they would work with the new management to ensure it "stands on its feet".
“We are sure the authority will still progress well and implement its mandate,” Kiptanui said.
It's not clear if KVDA will proceed with implementation of the dam projects in Elgeyo Marakwet county but leaders including Governor Alex Tolgos have appealed to President Uhuru Kenyatta to ensure the dams are constructed despite the probe.
However, Kapseret MP Oscar Sudi says the dam projects are dead, claiming they were deliberately targeted to collapse "as part of a political scheme against the Kalenjin community".
Edited by R.Wamochie
