Aasai

Murang’a Governor Dr. Irungu Kang’ata has nominated the former Chief Executive Officer of the Teachers Service Commission (TSC), Dr. Nancy Njeri Macharia, to serve as the Chairperson of the Murang’a County Public Service Board. The nomination comes at a critical time, as Dr. Macharia is set to conclude her long-serving tenure at the helm of the TSC at the end of June 2025.

The nomination was formally communicated to the Murang’a County Assembly through an official letter dated June 10, 2025, and received by the Assembly on June 18, 2025. The announcement was made pursuant to the provisions of the Public Appointments (County Assemblies Approval) Act of 2017 and the County Governments Act of 2012, which mandate county executives to seek legislative approval for key appointments to public service boards.

Dr. Macharia’s name appears on a list of five individuals nominated to serve on the Murang’a County Public Service Board. This board plays a critical role in county administration by overseeing the recruitment, management, and discipline of public officers in the county government. If approved, Dr. Macharia will assume the chairperson role for a renewable term of five years, marking her return to county-level public service after years of serving at the national level.

In the letter referenced MCG/CS/GOV/ST/2(162), Governor Kang’ata outlined the full composition of the proposed board members. Besides Dr. Macharia, the Governor nominated Dr. Louis Mwende Musikali, Johnson Kang’ethe Kinyua, and Dr. Brian Lishenga Makamu as board members. Oscar Kimani Gathura was nominated to serve as the Board’s Secretary.

The Murang’a County Assembly was informed that the names of all nominees have been referred to the relevant committee—the Governance, Labour and Social Welfare, and Justice and Legal Affairs Committee—for vetting. In accordance with Standing Order 47, the committee will conduct public hearings, review the nominees’ qualifications, and table a final report recommending approval or rejection by the Assembly.

Dr. Macharias nomination comes shortly before the conclusion of her tenure as CEO of the Teachers Service Commission, a position she has held since 2015. Her nearly decade-long leadership at TSC was marked by major reforms in teacher management, digitization of services, and contentious but impactful changes in the education sector.

Following her impending exit, TSC appointed Eveleen Mitei as Acting CEO in a memo dated June 1, 2025. Mitei, who previously served as Deputy Head of the Human Resources Directorate and oversaw the Human Resource Management Division, will assume the role in an interim capacity. However, the recruitment of a substantive replacement for Dr. Macharia has since been thrown into legal uncertainty.

The Employment and Labour Relations Court temporarily suspended the ongoing recruitment process after a petition was filed by a Kenyan citizen, Thomas Oyugi. In his petition, Oyugi challenged the transparency and legality of the recruitment process. He argued that the process lacked constitutional integrity, failed to properly declare the vacancy, and had a narrow and unfair application window of only 21 days—from May 6 to May 27, 2025. He also cited potential violations of the principle of inclusivity and merit-based selection.

Despite these national-level developments, Dr. Macharia’s nomination to the Murang’a County Public Service Board signals a possible new chapter in her public service journey. Should the County Assembly approve her appointment, she will transition from leading one of the largest education employers in Africa to overseeing the management of public service personnel in her home county.

Her wealth of experience, particularly in public sector leadership, governance, and human resource reforms, is expected to bring enhanced professionalism and capacity to Murang’a County’s civil service operations. Observers see her potential appointment as a strategic move by Governor Kang’ata to strengthen county governance with high-level expertise from national institutions.

All eyes are now on the Assembly’s vetting process, as the residents of Murang’a await a final verdict on whether Dr. Macharia will be entrusted with this new leadership mandate at the county level.