Economy

Kambi in row with Cotu over ouster of institute’s board

kazungu

Labour secretary Kazungu Kambi addresses the Press at his office in Nairobi recently. PHOTO | FILE

Labour secretary Kazungu Kambi has yet again started a battle with employers and workers’ representatives after disbanding the entire board of the National Industrial Training Authority (Nita).

In a move that may be seen as targeting the Central Organisation of Trade Unions (Cotu) and the Federation of Kenya Employers (FKE), Mr Kambi on Monday told the Nita boss that the board could no longer transact business on behalf of the authority.

“Ministry of Labour and Social Services has dissolved the Nita board and initiated administrative processes leading to the gazettement of the same,” Mr Kambi said through a letter dated October 27 and addressed to Nita director-general Paul Kosgei.

On Thursday, both FKE and Cotu officials criticised the move arguing that it had no basis in law. The employers’ lobby said it had written to Attorney General Githu Muigai asking him not to publish a gazette notice dissolving Nita.

“FKE objects to this unilateral action which has become a pattern that dominates the Cabinet secretary’s tenure,” FKE executive director Jacqueline Mugo said in a press statement.

Employers are the main contributors to Nita whose funds are targeted for development of skills for industry. Mrs Mugo said: “It is a direct and unwarranted affront to labour relations in Kenya and is not based on any powers conferred on the Cabinet secretary by law.”

In July, Mr Kambi revoked the appointments of Francis Atwoli and his FKE counterpart Jacqueline Mugo to the NSSF board, prompting a court process that is yet to be determined although the two were later reinstated.

READ: Labour minister ejects Atwoli, Mugo from NSSF board

Mrs Mugo said that the move was part of a continuing sequence of adverse administrative actions on tripartite bodies whose boards have representatives from Cotu and FKE.

Cotu, on the other hand, has written to President Uhuru Kenyatta seeking his intervention to save the authority from what it terms as undue influence by Mr Kambi.

“Cotu seeks your intervention in the matter in order to save this tripartite institution from undue influence in order to continue discharging its mandate,” said Cotu secretary general Francis Atwoli in the letter.

In an interesting twist of events, Mr Atwoli tied the matter to his suspended deputy George Muchai who he accused of colluding with Mr Kambi to break the law. Mr Muchai has been one of Cotu’s nominees to the disbanded Nita board of directors.

New nominee

“Our attempt to replace Mr Muchai with another nominee was frustrated by the Cabinet secretary after he refused to degazette him in favour of our new nominee,” Mr Atwoli said through Mr Adams Barasa, his personal assistant.

The authority’s 12-member board is comprised of three nominees from Cotu and three from FKE. The Treasury, Labour, and Education ministries have one representative each.

The Labour minister also appoints one member to represent special interest groups and the chairman of the board. The disbanded board was appointed in May 2012 Mr John Munyes, the Turkana senator.

According to board chairman Thomas Akuja, the team was supposed to serve until May 2016.

“I cannot say we have been given a substantive reason as to why the board was disbanded, but we are in a precarious situation considering we had a fixed term,” said Mr Akuja in a telephone interview.