Ezekiel Mutua Ordered To Refund Ksh27 Million Of Irregular Salary Hike
Ezekiel Mutua, former CEO of the Kenya Film Classification Board (KFCB), has been ordered by the State Corporations Appeal Tribunal to refund Ksh27 million obtained during his second term.
According to the Tribunal’s decision, the former KFCB head’s wage increase was irregular and illegal.
The decision upheld an earlier surcharge imposed by the Inspectorate of State Corporations (ISC), which found that the salary hike breached public service rules and constituted misuse of public funds.
“The Certificate of Surcharge SUR/001/2024 for the sum of Ksh27,612,360 is upheld and confirmed against the Appellant,” the ruling read in part.
Mutua’s monthly pay was increased from Ksh348,840 to Ksh1,115,850 after his reappointment as KFCB CEO in 2018.
The raise was approved by the KFCB board without the necessary clearances from major regulatory organizations.
These include the Salaries and Remuneration Commission (SRC), the State Corporations Advisory Committee (SCAC), and the Cabinet Secretary responsible.
#hotoffthebench
— Joshua Malidzo Nyawa (@joshuamalidzo) July 9, 2025
The State Corporation Appeal Tribunal has ordered Ezekiel Mutua to honour the certificate of surcharge for the sum of Ksh 27.6M. During his reign as the CEO of KFSB, Mutua (as part of the board) increased his salary from ksh 348k to 1M without SRC's approval. pic.twitter.com/VMFIoClSAH
The Inspectorate of State Corporations initially surcharged Mutua in October 2024 under Section 19 of the State Corporations Act, stating direct personal advantage from a decision in which he participated.
“The board’s decision to increase the CEO’s salary on a ‘personal to self’ basis was unlawful and irregular,” noted the surcharge letter.
Although the previous Sports and Heritage CS declined to prolong Mutua’s tenure in May 2018, the KFCB board reappointed him two weeks later.
Aside from extending his contract, the board directed the Human Resources and Administration committee to assess his compensation package based on perceived historical performance.
Meeting minutes from January 2019 given to the Tribunal revealed that, despite internal differences, the majority of board members supported the hike.
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The board then sought retroactive approval from the Sports CS, which in April 2019 formally denied the hike and requested that any funds already paid be returned, a decision that was never carried out.
Mutua claimed in his defense that he worked on the basis of legitimacy. He claimed that the board had the ability to reappoint him and compensate him based on merit.
The Tribunal, however, was unimpressed and ordered him to refund the funds he had accumulated.
The Tribunal also ruled that Mutua and Nehemiah Koech, a KFCB board member who supported the salary increment, were liable for enabling the irregular hike. Mutua is yet to break his silence on the fresh orders.
Ezekiel Mutua Ordered To Refund Ksh27 Million Of Irregular Salary Hike
