Members of Parliament have accused the Auditor-General Edward Ouko of skewed hiring after more than a third of new employees since he took office were found to have been from his community.
A report tabled before National Assembly’s committee on equal opportunity revealed that out of a workforce of 916 workers, 325 of them — equivalent to 35.48 percent — were from Luo.
The report was tabled by the Deputy-Auditor General Director in charge of corporate services Joyce Mbaabu.
Before the promulgation of the 2010 Constitution, the report shows, staff from the Luo community accounted for 13.79 percent in a workforce of 834 people.
During the same period, the committee chaired by Jubilee’s nominated MP Maina Kamanda was told staff from the Kikuyu community accounted for 42.33 percent of the workforce with 353 workers.
The MPs, however, noted that soon after Mr Ouko took over, members of Luo community spiked to 325.
In the period before his appointment, Luo community only accounted for 13.79 percent of the workforce.
REGIONAL BALANCE
Mr Ouko took office in 2011 for an eight year non-renewable term as the Auditor-General.
The committee said the office of the Auditor-General should be among the institutions that should strictly adhere to the law especially on employment.
“We must stop this idea where the ethnic group where the CEO comes from is where you get more employees. It is unfortunate that the office of the Auditor-General is having these discrepancies,” said Lagdera MP Mohamed Garane.
Mr Kamanda hinted at revisiting the hiring made during Mr Ouko’s tenure that has cast his office in bad light.
“If you think you have done a mistake, it has to be corrected. Even if you have to sack to comply you have to do it,” Mr Maina Kamanda said.
‘SQUEEZED OUT’
But the Luo and Kikuyu communities still dominate jobs with their share of employment at the public audit office growing to 53.7 percent in May, from 31 percent in 2010, squeezing out other communities from the State agency.
The two communities have over the past two decades occupied the top position at the National Audit office.
The jobs data on the National Audit office show that three communities, including the Kisii, are over-represented.
Under the diversity policy for State Ministries, Departments and Agencies released in December 2015 by the Public Service Commission (PSC), ethnic groups whose job representation surpasses their corresponding national population proportion are considered to be over-represented.
CRONYISM
Mr Ouko, an accountant appointed in 2011, will exit the office in August when his term ends.
National Cohesion and Integration Act, 2008 says that no single ethnic community should account for one third of the total workforce in any organisation.
Ms Mbaabu while making her presentation told MPs that some applicants from some ethnic communities do not meet the minimum requirements for appointment.
She also pointed out that applicants do not disclose their ethnicity or disability while applying for jobs.
She further told the lawmakers employees from minority communities do not remain in employment for long as they are easily poached by NGOs in their rural communities.