Kenya Power staff push for board ouster, threaten strike

The employees of utility firm Kenya Power want its board disbanded over the alleged hijacking of the company affairs.

The workers represented by the Kenya Electrical Trades & Allied Workers’ Union (KETAWU) have further accused the board of perpetrating procurement irregularities at Kenya Power by pushing for their self interests.

KETAWU has singled out Chairman to the board of Kenya Power Vivienne Yeda, Caroline Kittony, Elizabeth Rogo and Sachen Gudka who it accuses of pushing for contracts to Indian and Chinese owned firms.

“These are the four musketeers. They are characters hell bent on bringing down Kenya Power. Virtually, the management of Kenya Power is not operational. All of their work is now being done by the board,” said KETAWU Secretary General Ernest Nadome.

The workers have further expressed their dismay at the side stepping of management by the board which staged an unprecedented 114 meetings in a single financial year.

KETAWU alleges that the board of Kenya Power is now seeking to push out four mangers at the utility company who stand in its way having refused to clear what it terms as dubious dealings.

“Before any tender is advertised by management, the four members of the board have pre-shared key information with preferred tenderprenuers. This is a violation of the Public Procurement Act,” added Mr. Nadome.

Among the managers sought in the alleged witch hunt include the General Manager for Supply Chain and Logistics Dr. John Ngeno, Company Secretary Imelda Bore and the General Manager for Business Strategy Martin Mutuku.

In addition to the push for the boards break-up, the staff workers want a substantive Managing Director appointed saying the role of the Acting CEO Rosemary Oduor has been tampered with by the board’s covert operations.

Additonally, the staff workers have linked the departure of former Managing Director Benard Ngugi to the four board members claiming the former boss refused to approval the firms irregular smart meter project in which Kenya Power partners Safaricom.

The Project has been deemed to be a step away from sound procurement practices and that it has a skewed revenue sharing formula that favors the giant telecoms operator at the expense of Kenya Power.

KETAWU has issued a three-week ultimatum for government agencies to swoop in on the alleged irregularities failure to which the union will call for an industry wide strike across the entire energy sector value chain.

KETAWU says the rot at Kenya Power puts their own survival at jeopardy.

“The board is not supportive of employee’s welfare yet it expects quality service delivery. The employees are extremely demoralized. There has been no promotions for long servicing staff while contract and casual labourers have not been converted to permanent staff as agreed upon with management,” said Mr. Nadome.