Cotu accuses State of meddling in NSSF boss recruitment

The Central Organisation of Trade Unions has alleged State interference in the recruitment of the chief executive officer for the National Social Security Fund.

Cotu Assistant Secretary-General Ernest Nadome claimed on Wednesday that the re-advertisement of the position last week after five candidates had been interviewed was meant to remove the winner and replace him with one favoured by the State.

Mr Nadome said there was “massive interference” by a top politician with the National Intelligence Service (NIS), Ministry of Labour and the Ethics and Anti-Corruption Commission (EACC) being arm-twisted to write wrong reports on the candidates.

Speaking to the Press at Travellers Beach Hotel in Mombasa, Mr Nadome claimed that a scheme was being hatched to give the position to a person who can be manipulated to release cash for the August 2017 General Election.

“We are talking of more than Sh800 billion in NSSF,” said Mr Nadome. “It’s very unfortunate that politicians want to use the pension fund as a cash cow for their election money.”

He said it was Cotu’s position that the NSSF Act be amended to give the board mandate to run and manage the fund’s affairs.

“The government does not contribute anything to NSSF,” said Mr Nadome. “The fund is the property of workers and employers, who should be mandated to run and manage its affairs.

“This idea of Ministry of Finance, Office of the Deputy President and so on is nonsense.”

The official called on President Uhuru Kenyatta to urgently intervene and take charge so as to save the fund from the alleged interference and ensure it gets “a credible, incorruptible and efficient CEO because, as of now, the Ministry of Labour operates at the whims of a top politician”.

Mr Nadome was flanked by Cotu executive board members Abubakar Omar and Gideon Mutiso.

In October, Cotu Secretary-General Francis Atwoli made similar claims, accusing EACC of gross interference in the search for the fund’s new boss.