A CEO in a government parastatal who in October last year refused to leave office despite reaching the retirement age of 60 has been sacked. The Nairobi Rivers Commission CEO, Brigadier (Rtd) Joseph Muracia, was dismissed from office with immediate effect.
He was removed on grounds of gross misconduct, corruption, embezzlement of funds, nepotism, and insubordination.
The decision to dismiss him was unanimously approved during a Tuesday afternoon meeting on January 14, chaired by former Starehe MP, Margaret Wanjiru.
Muracia has been accused of exploiting organizational gaps to misappropriate resources during his tenure at the commission established by President William Ruto.
Why Nairobi Rivers CEO Joseph Muracia Sacked
An audit of the 2023/2024 financial year revealed severe financial mismanagement under Muracia’s leadership, leading to the loss of over Kshs. 150 million.
The audit report highlighted several irregularities, including overpriced procurements and missing documentation for purchased goods.
Notably, goods worth Ksh 20,234,474 were delivered without proper supporting documents, such as original tax invoices.
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The audit revealed numerous irregular procurements under Muracia’s leadership, highlighting blatant overpricing and mismanagement of resources.
Shalmac Technologies supplied 12 desktop computers for Ksh. 3,000,000, far exceeding the market price of Ksh. 1,896,000. This reflected an overpricing of Ksh. 1,104,000, or 158%.
At the same time, Shelvis Enterprises provided 17 printers for Ksh. 2,975,000, significantly higher than the market price of Ksh. 1,139,000, resulting in an overpricing of Ksh.1,836,000, or 261%.
Allegations against the Dismissed CEO
Additionally, Simora Group supplied 10 laptops at Ksh. 2,980,000, despite the market price being Ksh. 1,250,000. This led to an overpricing of Ksh. 1,730,000, or 238%.
The report further disclosed that Muracia claimed to have employed 20,000 “Climate Worx” workers, many of whom were identified as ghost employees.
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Additionally, a Ksh. 200 million allocations for allowances were severely mismanaged, with substantial funds unaccounted for.
Muracia also faced allegations of nepotism, hiring family members to work for the commission and prioritizing their salaries over other employees.
Furthermore, the commission said that Muracia exhibited insubordination and high-handedness in his interactions with Commissioners, frequently using derogatory language and sidelining them in key decisions.
His leadership style was described as “autocratic, prioritizing personal gain over institutional objectives.
President William Ruto appointed Brigadier Joseph Muracia, to the Nairobi Rivers Commission in May 2023.
The Nairobi Rivers Commission, tasked with cleaning and rehabilitating Nairobi’s rivers, has been operational for less than two years.
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