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KRA audit to stem tribalism
KRA headquarters. The tax collector embarked on the census a fortnight ago as part of its staff evaluation. Photo/FILE.
Posted Sunday, March 14 2010 at 22:30
The Kenya Revenue Authority is counting its workers in an effort to comply with a government directive aimed at stemming tribalism and nepotism in the public sector.
The tax collector embarked on the census a fortnight ago as part of its staff evaluation. According to Mr Kennedy Onyonyi, the KRA public relations manager, the census being carried out by the internal audit department will be completed by the end of the month.
However, he declined to comment on the steps to be taken if some KRA departments were found to have too many employees from one community. The revenue body is among government departments in the spotlight over ethnic balancing in its recruitment.
Civil service boss Francis Muthaura last week directed permanent secretaries to ensure that members of one ethnic group do not take up more than 25 per cent of civil service jobs in any department.
In November last year, the parliamentary committee on equal opportunities questioned Mr Muthaura to find out what policies the government had implemented to guard against discrimination in the public service. Mr Muthaura said the coalition government had shifted focus from gender and regional balance to “balancing the political equation”.
Members of the National Cohesion and Integration Commission were said to have attended the meeting last week where Mr Muthaura called on them to address the ethnicity problem in the government. The commission led by Dr Mzalendo Kibunja was set up to fight discrimination on ethnic grounds.
Unified nation
And the Law Society of Kenya (LSK) has praised the directive to enforce the requirement for equity in employment along ethnic lines.
Addressing a press conference in Nairobi on Sunday, LSK chairman Okong’o O’Mogeni said the society welcomed the directive as it was in line with the provisions of the Act that seeks to build a more unified nation and address ethnic imbalances.
He said any future recruitment must follow the law to avoid skewed distribution of employment opportunities in public institutions.
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Submitted by Anonymous authorPosted March 15, 2010 09:27 PM
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Submitted by Kyabazinga
What garbage! Even assuming KRA finds more than 25% of one tribe in a department, how will they decide which employees from that tribe should be fired?
Posted March 15, 2010 08:21 PM -
Submitted by mwalimunyerere
is there a tribe called kenya/kenyan? coz many of us would be victims of this positive discimination.the term tribe should be further elucidated.
Posted March 15, 2010 08:01 PM -
Submitted by owinoh
Cool:) am looking forward to a job advert reading ".... people from kabila X need not apply ....". Who will stop this madness? We have strange ways of dealing with our imaginary problems.
Posted March 15, 2010 07:45 PM -
Submitted by kick15
if its not a political gimmick, the mere intention may be to consolidate power to the correct people as is usual in African. why not create a cohesive society by disregarding tribes and going for merit that can give results?
Posted March 15, 2010 07:44 PM
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Some people are there with no qualifications because they knew so and so or they voted for so and so, or their uncle or neighbor etc. So they should be sacked or let go. Many kenyans are out there qualificed but roaming the streets, and am sure if given the chance they will make the best after being out there irrespective of what tribe coz they must detest this tribal thing that has not even helped them, but we need justice and fair.