President Uhuru Kenyatta has ordered Labour Cabinet secretary Simon Chelugui to appoint a second nominee from the umbrella workers’ union to National Social Security Fund board of trustees.
The Central Organisation of Trade Unions (Cotu) secretary-general Francis Atwoli had last December moved to court accusing Mr Chelugui of leaving out one of its two nominees when he gazetted the NSSF board of trustees on October 28.
The court had issued orders restraining the board from convening any meetings in the absence of the Cotu’s representatives.
President Uhuru Kenyatta has ordered Labour Cabinet secretary Simon Chelugui to appoint a second nominee from the umbrella workers’ union to National Social Security Fund board of trustees.
Mr Kenyatta’s order, which should be implemented on Wednesday, will end a six-month stalemate which has grounded meetings at the state-run pension fund following a January court order.
The Central Organisation of Trade Unions (Cotu) secretary-general Francis Atwoli had last December moved to court accusing Mr Chelugui of leaving out one of its two nominees when he gazetted the NSSF board of trustees on October 28.
Mr Atwoli argued in court documents the Labour CS appointed Isaac Okello, but left out Ms Rose Omamo — the secretary-general of Amalgamated Workers Union — who also sits on the executive committee of the umbrella workers’ union.
Cotu had forwarded the two names on August 12 as the term of the previous holders, including Mr Atwoli himself, was ending in September.
“Your government cannot appoint anybody for us nor can we appoint somebody to sit on the board of the NSSF for the government or for employers,” Mr Atwoli told the President on Sunday during the International Labour Day celebrations in Nairobi.
“She (Ms Omamo) is qualified in every aspect of representation, very effective to represent us on that particular board. To date, the government has not gazetted her for reasons not known to us, employers or anybody.”
In directing the minister to appoint the second Cotu nominee, Mr Kenyatta emphasized the workers “must be allowed to oversight their money” at the NSSF board whose assets amounted to Sh290.3 billion last December.
The court had issued orders restraining the board from convening any meetings in the absence of the Cotu’s representatives.
Under the NSSF Act, the trustees are to hold office for a three-year term and are eligible for re-appointment for one final term and may be removed by the Labour CS for various reasons.
Cotu says in court documents that it is entitled to two representatives and the minister did not give explanation for not gazetting the second nominee.
