UWA COMMISSION OF ENQUIRY IN DISARRAY
The term of the commission has expired by end of August, the Minister has told the chairman to immediately wind up and submit his report and anything other than that is completely out of order now commented a ministry source on condition of strict anonymity when contacted over the weekend in regard of commission chair and retired Supreme Court Justice George Kanyeihambas latest public outbursts, when he demanded the interdiction of the Acting Executive Director of UWA.
The spat has also brought division inside the commission to the forefront, as three commissioners are today quoted in the local media as having disowned their own habitually controversial chairman and one of his confidantes on the commission, saying they could not support any calls to suspend or sack or otherwise discipline UWAs current Acting ED Dr. Andrew Seguya.
This latest public disagreement is only one in a long series of at times unprecedented outbursts by Kanyeihamba towards witnesses, their alleged intimidation by him and what was perceived as publicly pre-judging witnesses statements and their alleged involvement over the use of PAMSU funds by the retired justice, often giving the impression of a personal vendetta and agenda rather than fulfilling the function of a commission chair.
The minister, Prof. Ephraim Kamuntu, was in Mombasa last week to attend a session of the East Africa Communitys ministerial council meeting on tourism and wildlife and will find yet more controversy on his desk upon his return to office this Monday. This has turned out to be a complete mess now said a regular tourism source when discussing the issue before adding considering it all came out of the former ministers bad decisions and from his injured pride, this is the prize to pay for keeping such characters in government and giving them responsibility. It destroyed the UWA which we knew and which worked quite well and left the organization in tatters. It ruined reputations beyond repair of people Kanyeihamba targeted during witness testimonies. Where is the report? He was given three month and could not finish, then he was given another three months and still has not finished? He complained of lack of funds, then that his offices were broken into, then wanted to go on safari to the parks, what is wrong with him and in between he went away for a couple of weeks? Let this report be submitted and then it can be challenged in a proper court where rules exist and are not made up like it seemed here. This commission has by the look of it done a very shoddy job. Watch this space as the final twists and turns of this long running saga now play out.
