The Executive Director of the Non-Governmental Organizations (NGO) Co-ordination Board, Fazul Mahamed, has resigned from office. Mahamed says he will vacate the office he has held for three years effective May 1, 2018.
In his letter copied to the Interior Cabinet Secretary and Principal Secretary Karanja Kibicho Fazul does not give reasons for the unexpected move. “I wish to sincerely thank the Board of Directors for the invaluable opportunities extended and I commit to effecting an expedient and smooth transition,” reads the letter.
His period in office has been masked by controversy ranging from some drastic moves to deregister major NGOs operating in the country, some that are owned by politicians while his academic qualification has all along been a subject of debate.
On 7th of December last year, the Employment and Labour Relations Court issued orders preventing the government from extending his term of office pending the determination of a petition filed by activist Okiya Omtatah.
Justice Hellen Wasilwa in the orders directed that the Interior Cabinet Secretary should not Mahamed’s re-appoint him pending the inter-partes hearing of the case.
She also prohibited Mahamed from accessing offices of the NGO Coordination Board and carrying out any functions of the body.
“An interim order is issued restraining the respondent and its agents or any person purporting to act under its authority from renewing, re-appointing, or in any way whatsoever extending the interested parties contractual tenure as the Executive Director of the NGO Coordination Board which expired on November 23rd 2017 pending the inter-partes hearing and determination of this application and the petition herein,” she stated.
In his suit papers, Omtatah argued that Mahamed’s three-year tenure as executive director at the board expired and that he should have taken terminal leave.
He wants an acting executive director appointed in the transition period pending the competitive recruitment and appointment of a substantive office holder.