The National Land Commission has started the recruitment of a new chief executive as the term of suspended CEO Tom Chavangi nears its end.

Though Chavangi remains the substantive CEO, he was suspended in 2018, when he was charged with economic crimes.

The Anti-Corruption and Economic Crimes Act requires any public servant charged with economic crimes to proceed on suspension on half basic pay.

Without a substantive CEO, the commission appointed Kabale Tache to act. Tache steadied the NLC ship after it was hit by negative publicity, when top officials were charged with economic crimes.

In an advertisement, the commission calls for applications from “suitably qualified persons for the position of Commission Secretary.”

The CEO will serve for five years which can be renewed once.

The NLC Act requires candidates to hold a degree from a university recognised in Kenya, and have had at least five years’ experience at the senior management level.

Other requirements include knowledge and experience in any one of the following fields - public administration, finance and accounting, law, economics, management, land and natural resources, or any other relevant field.

The candidates should also meet the requirements of Chapter Six of the Constitution.

Tache started acting before the inaugural group of commissioners led by former chairman Prof Muhammad Swazuri left at the end of their term.

As the commissioners were departing and with their successors not yet appointed, Tache ensured the commission continued functioning until the swearing-in of the current team of commissioners led by chairman Gershom Otachi appointed in November 2019.

By the time Otachi's team was reporting, the tension and anxiety that had clouded the commission following the arrest and prosecution of some of the top officials had subsided, giving the new commission room to settle in with little to no fuss.

In a past interview with the Star, Tache said the commission had brought significant corporate governance measures towards attaining seamless operations and cohesion.

NLC is a strategic land reform institution established by Articles 67 and 248 of the Constitution that, among other functions, manages public land on behalf of the national and county governments. 

It is also charged with resolving historical land injustices.

After a turbulent start to its existence, when it experienced a lot of tension with the Ministry of Land, the commission is in its 10th year of existence.

At the peak of the fights with the ministry, the commission was kicked out of Ardhi House, where it had been housed from its onset.

The commission in 2021 procured and furnished its new office space in Upper Hill.

Even as the commission begins its search for a new CEO, significant challenges remain. These include insufficient budget allocation by the Exchequer, hindering the full implementation of its programmes, projects and activities.