House orders KPC jobs audit over nepotism

• The committee is also investigating KPC human resources manager Rose Osiako who is said to have employed her close relatives. Mr John Kithete, the business development manager is also accused of having his sisters in the administration and finance departments.
• Others who were said to have close relatives in the company are engineering manager Bramwel Wanyalika and Finance manager Samuel Odoyo.
  Mr Maluki acknowledged that in the past, there was imbalance in the hiring at KPC but nepotism was not allowed.

Parliament has ordered an audit of all staff recruitment at the Kenya Pipeline Company (KPC) following allegations of nepotism in the parastatal.

The Parliamentary Committee on Equal Opportunities further ordered the KPC board, its management and senior staff accused of employing relatives in the company to appear before it on September 30.

The House team chairman Mohammed Affey called for the audit after KPC chairman Samuel Maluki said that he was not aware of nepotism at the company.

“If there is nepotism at the management level, then I will investigate. I seek more time to gather all the information required,” said Mr Maluki.

The audit of recent appointments seeks to establish the qualifications of employees and which regions they hail from, among other details, following allegations by Yatta MP Charles Kilonzo that top managers had filled senior positions with their relatives.

Mr Kilonzo wrote to the committee on October 9, asking it to investigate KPC managing director Selest Kilinda and four other managers over nepotism. Mr Kilonzo claimed in Parliament that Mr Kilinda had employed his three sisters, a brother, two in-laws and two nephews in various departments of the institution.

The committee is also investigating KPC human resources manager Rose Osiako who is said to have employed her close relatives. Mr John Kithete, the business development manager is also accused of having his sisters in the administration and finance departments.

Others who were said to have close relatives in the company are engineering manager Bramwel Wanyalika and Finance manager Samuel Odoyo.
Mr Maluki acknowledged that in the past, there was imbalance in the hiring at KPC but nepotism was not allowed.

“We have set clear employment guidelines which emphasise on merit while taking into account the new constitutional requirements of regional and gender balance,” he said.

Committee member Millie Odhiambo, however, said it was not wrong for relatives to work in the same company. “We are saying there should be transparency in the way state corporations and departments employ people,” she said.

emutai@ke.nationmedia.com