[15] Following Peter O'Neill's ouster of Michael Somare as Prime Minister in August 2011, Kondra was named Vice-Minister for Mining in the new government.
[20] In September 2013, Kondra was outspoken in support of a successful bid to remove BHP Billiton's legal immunity in regard to the Ok Tedi mine, thanking O'Neill for "wiping away the tears of our people".
He criticised the company for the environmental impact of the mine, in particular due to waste dumping in the Fly River and spoke about deaths caused by pollution.
[23] Kondra suffered a heart attack on 27 February 2014 and was transferred to Australia by medivac, but recovered and returned home in mid-March.
It was alleged that Kondra had misapplied District Services Improvement Program funds on accommodation for himself and on paying campaign debts from the 2012 election.
[32] Kondra then appealed to the Supreme Court, and again won a stay of his dismissal pending its resolution, in part due to the proximity of the 2017 election.