Mbumba’s nephew poised for CPBN CEO job

After his appointment was initially rejected by Cabinet last month, President Nangolo Mbumba’s nephew, Idi Itope, is now poised to become the CEO of the Central Procurement Board of Namibia (CPBN).

Itope’s name was presented to Cabinet in March by public enterprises minister Ipumbu Shiimi for approval as CPBN CEO, but the matter was deferred after allegations that candidates who scored higher than Itope in the interviews were overlooked.

Three of the five shortlisted candidates hail from the Zambezi Region, and the allegations that they were overlooked infuriated some people in the region, who questioned whether tribalism was at play.

Itope, head of domestic tax at the Namibia Revenue Agency (NamRA), was up against Calvin Muniswaswa, Audrin Mathe, Richwell Lukonga and Michael Humavindu.

Cabinet directed Shiimi to collect all the records from the recruitment agency appointed to conduct the interviews for verification.

In a statement on Friday, CPBN condemned allegations that its recruitment process to appoint a new CEO was conducted unfairly and that Itope was hand-picked for the job.

‘Malicious’ accusations

CPBN manager for stakeholder engagement, Johanna Kambala, said the allegations were a misrepresentation of facts and purely malicious, with the intent to cast doubt on the integrity and credibility of the recruitment process.

“This is further aimed at causing harm to the image and reputation of the CPBN,” she said.

She said the position in question was advertised for the first time in print media and on CPBN’s website on 21 April 2023 and that the recruitment process was facilitated by an independent recruitment agency.

Kambala said to ensure the effectiveness of the hiring process, the interview panel consisted of five members from diverse backgrounds.

“Four of the panel members were CPBN board members with vast experience in legal and governance, engineering and supply chain management.”

A fifth panel member was described as a well-respected professional in the corporate industry with vast experience in finance and economics.

Phases outlined

She said the hiring process consisted of several phases, including a panel interview that contributed 55% to the final score and an individual presentation that contributed 25% to the score.

The final phase consisted of a psychometric assessment that contributed 20% of the total score.

Scores from the panel interviews and individual presentations determined who proceeded to the psychometric assessment, Kambala added.

The top three who proceeded to that phase were Itope, Muniswaswa and Humavindu.

Fair process

Itope scored 34.57%, 14% and 14.55% in the three phases, resulting in a final score of 63.12%.

Muniswaswa scored 34.89%, 18% and 7.27%, achieving an overall score of 60.16%, while Humavindu scored 33.94%, 15% and 9.09% in the respective phases, for a total score of 58.03%.

“It is evident that the candidate who emerged as the highest-scoring candidate after all three phases of the recruitment process was Itope,” said Kambala.

She emphasised that transparency and good corporate governance are fundamental principles that play a crucial role in ensuring a fair and effective recruitment process.

“It is needless to state that the CPBN subscribes to these fundamental values. CPBN wishes to assure the public that the organisation will continue to uphold its commitment to ethical behaviour, fairness and accountability, laying the foundation for a high-performing and inclusive workforce.”