An activist has sued Nairobi County Assembly Speaker Kennedy Ng’ondi for allegedly hiring 12 employees to serve in his office instead of five.
Francis Awino claims that Ng'ondi, who also serves as the chair of the County Service Board, hired the said employees despite the fact that the Salaries and Remuneration Commission (SRC) only allows for a maximum of five staff members.
“There are overwhelming illegalities, irregularities and circumvention of the law that was done by the Speaker within the County Assembly of Nairobi,” he says in court documents.
He has named the Ethics and Anti-Corruption Commission (EACC) as an interested Party in the suit.
Awino claims in particular, Kennedy hired three personal drivers, three secretaries, and one communications officer who is the former Member of County Assembly (MCA) for Gatina Ward.
“Worse, the remaining five staff are ghost workers and cannot be accounted for. Their identity remains unknown despite their names reflecting as staff working in the Respondent's office,” he says.
He also accuses Kennedy of facilitating the employment of relatives of some members of the County Assembly of Nairobi claiming all the positions were not advertised by the County Assembly Service Board as required by law.
“No shortlisting and eventual interviews of the appointees was ever conducted or any publishing of their names in the print media; a clear manifestation to the extent of flouting of the Constitution by the respondent,” he claims.
According to him the lack of any advertisement for the job and shortlisting of the candidates failed to allow selection of the employees on the basis of personal integrity, competence and suitability of the interested applicants.
“The failure as required by the law to advertise the positions irregularly filled denied other competent residents of Nairobi and Kenya the right to apply and compete for the appointment and or selection on merit,” he argued.
He wants the court to declare the appointment of the 12 members of staff together with the employment of the relatives of MCAs as discriminatory and influenced by nepotism, favouritism and corrupt practices.
He also seeks an order declaring the act of the speaker as an abuse of office and corruption and therefore the appointments should be quashed.
He also wants the court to direct the Public Service Commission to conduct fresh interviews and appointments of the recommended members to serve in the speaker's office.
