Blogger Pauline Njoroge and Kalonzo Musyoka’s son Kevin Muasya appointment as members of the Board of Directors of the Tourism Regulatory Authority has been revoked.
In a gazette notice dated March 9, 2023, Tourism Cabinet Secretary (CS) Peninah Malonza also revoked the appointment of Najma Ismail, Alais Lenana Momoi, and Isaac Muchiri Njangu to the authority.
“In exercise of the powers conferred by section 8 (1) (g) of the Tourism Act, as read together with section 51 (1) of the Interpretations and General Provisions Act, the Cabinet Secretary for Tourism, Wildlife and Heritage revokes the appointment of Kevin Muasya, Najma Ismail, Alais Lenana Momoi, Isaac Muchiri Njangu, Pauline N. Njoroge, as members of the Board of Directors of the Tourism Regulatory Authority,” the gazette notice read.
Njoroge’s appointment to the authority in August 2020 was met with controversy after she criticised the management of Nairobi National Park.
“By the way, how much revenue does the Nairobi National Park bring to this country? Isn’t there much more that can be done with it that can add more value?
“The only selling point of that park is that ‘It’s the only national park in a capital city in the world’ beyond that glamorous title, what else does it offer? The orphanage and the nature walk make economic sense…But the park?
“It does not make sense that in a congested city like Nairobi we can afford to have acres and acres of land in the name of a park when the is literally bursting at the seams with people…We even have to hold discussions on rerouting the SGR so as to have a park that is economically redundant!” She wrote on her Facebook page.
The post generated bitter reactions from Kenyans who asked the then Tourism CS Najib Balala to revoke her appointment.
In a quick rejoinder, Balala said he was revoking Njoroge’s appointment following her Twitter post.
“I am revoking Pauline Njoroge’s appointment as a board member of the Tourism Regulatory Authority because we have just seen what she had tweeted in the past that Nairobi National Park was useless.
“We do not want to be associated with such people and such thinking,” he said in a statement.
It later emerged that the CS never really revoked her appointment and she continued to serve her three-year term.
Her appointment and four others was to end in August 2023.
