Pauline Njoroge Fired From Govt Job
Others whose appointments were revoked include Kalonzo Musyoka's son Kevin Muasya, Alais Lenana Momoi, and Isaac Muchiri Njangu.
Marvin Chege 
Communication strategist Pauline Njoroge, a blogger synonymous with the Azimio la Umoja-One Kenya alliance, was on Friday, March 10 fired from the Tourism Regulatory Authority.
A Gazette Notice by Cabinet Secretary for Tourism, Wildlife, and Heritage Peninah Malonza revealed that Njoroge's appointment to the board was revoked alongside former KTN News Anchor Najma Ismail, who quit the Standard Media Group (SMG) on Wednesday, March 8, 2023.
"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 five members," Malonza stated.
Najma Ismail during a past press briefing. /STANDARD DIGITAL
Others whose appointments were revoked include Kalonzo Musyoka's son Kevin Muasya, Alais Lenana Momoi, and Isaac Muchiri Njangu.
Malonza however did not make any immediate appointments to the board, nor explain reasons for releasing the board members, who were mostly allied to former President Uhuru Kenyatta.
Njoroge had served as a Digital Media Strategist for Azimio La Umoja One Kenya Coalition before the August 2022 General Election.
Former Tourism Cabinet Secretary Najib Balala in 2021 revoked her appointment as a member of the Board of Tourism Regulatory Authority after the appointment the previous year was met with controversy owing to her remarks on the 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.
In a quick rejoinder, Balala said he was revoking Njoroge's appointment following her post, which generated bitter reactions from Kenyans.
“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.
She was controversially replaced by Ismail whom Balala termed as fit to sit in the authority, but it later emerged that Balala never really revoked her appointment and she continued to serve her three-year term, which was to end in August 2023.
Tourism Regulatory Authority (TRA) is a corporate body established under section 4 of the Tourism Act No.28 of 2011 and is mandated to regulate the tourism sector in Kenya.
This entails developing regulations, standards and guidelines that are necessary to ensure an all-around quality service delivery in the tourism sector.
An image of Diani beach. /FILE
