State Capture At NITA, Abuse Of Office By DG And Theft Of Public Resources

Kenya Insights has obtained a memoranda and petitions dated 7th March 2023 with first hand primary information, the leadership of Ministry of Labour And Social Protection has failed to remedy the very sad situation which is ailing NITA addressed to Felix Kosgei Head of Public Service and Chief of Staff State House.

The letter highlights, the corrupt, highly conflicted, compromised and inefficient Director General indirectly involved in the theft of public resources, deliberate Violation of procurement laws and procedures, Insider trading with NITA by the Director General through fictitious companies owned by proxy employees and accredited trainers and massive theft through creative accounting under an entity called Home Care Management.

Persistent employee harassment, intimidation and open discrimination, employee stagnation and promotions lacking fair competition and merit.

The impunity by the Director General under the support of FKE & COTU representatives at the NITA Board who have treated the Authority as a private members club.

The memoranda describes Mr. Stephen Ogenga as a delinquent public official who has failed to maintain devotion to public duty. That on account of inefficiency, his engagement in subversive activities, violation of several provisions of the Constitution; be considered the need to suspend Mr. Stephen Ogenga to pave way for a serious investigations into the veracity and gravity employees’ claims against him.

“NITA is a captured state entity”

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NITA BOARD

Ø Public   service   at   NITA   has   degenerated   into   a   closed   priesthood   without   any   semblance   of accountability.

Ø The hands of members at the Board from FKE &COTU are not clean.

Ø FKE  &FKE   representatives   are   responsible for   the   inefficiency,   negligence,   incompetence   by  the Director General, Stephen Ogenga.

Ø The FKE & COTU representation combined hassix members while the government has five members. The government is the minority.

Ø This  has  made  the  NITA  become  a  private members  club  held  hostage  by  members  who come  for meetings and never-ending retreats thathave no meaningful results or output to the authority.

Ø The  Board  has  turned  out  and  is  likened  to the  proverbial  ostrich;  it  has  buried  its  head  in the  sand instead  of  taking  an  assertive  position on  the  Director   General’s  inefficiency, incompetence  and improper exercise of hisadministrative authority while in discharging of publicduty.

Ø FKE & COTU members of the NITA Board havesustained abuse of their numerical strength toimpose unpopular decisions on recruitments,administrative actions, procurement etc.

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Ø As  a  matter  of  URGENCY  the  composition  of the  NITA  Board  should  be  restructured  to  have and expanded membership that will help to reversethe perpetual in-breeding of outrageous andoutdated ideas fronted by the FKE & COTUmembers of the NITA Board.

Ø A huge chunk of critical stakeholders need to beconsidered for representation at the NITA Boardsuch as Kenya Association of Manufacturers,KNCCI, KNQA and Jua Kali when restructuring ofthe Board.

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Ø There  is  an  unholy  union  between;  the Director  General,  FKE  &  COTU  representatives who  sit  at  the NITA Board. They are the onesprotecting Mr. Stephen Ogenga from being called toquestion over his unbecoming conduct which hasprejudiced the interest and reputation of theAuthority.

Ø All  issues  raised  to  the  Board  against  the  Mr. Ogenga  are  traded  as  false  complaints  or vexatious allegations because he enjoys a lot ofprotection by the FKE & COTU members sitting atthe NITA Board.

Ø In spite of the effective and stringent laws inplace, NITA is run like private members club whilerampant cases cronyism, open discrimination andnepotism.

THE DIRECTOR GENERAL – MR. STEPHEN OGENGA

Ø NITA is ailing because of Mr. Ogenga’s multiple lapses while in discharge of public duty attributed tohis negligence and impunity.

Ø As a public servant of doubtful integrity,  Mr.Ogenga has become a dead wood because he doesnot discharge  public  duty  as  per  the  expectations of  employees,  critical  stakeholders  and  the general public.

Ø Mr. Ogenga is an arrogant public servant, he isnot people friendly and by and large, he has losttouch with  the  ground  realities.  He  practices untouchability  knowing  that  NITA  is  a  private members  club controlled by FKE & FKE overvested and competing interests.

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Ø Due to Mr. Ogenga’s intimidation and harassmentleadership style. he has created fear psychosis tothe extent  that  senior  staffs  are  afraid  of  taking bold  decisions  in  the  public  interest  especially those involving tender evaluations of big amounts ofmoney and important commercial decisions. It is hisway or the highway.

Ø Severally, we have written to the parent ministry toprotest that Mr. Ogenga conducts himself as if the rule of law does not apply to him. What follows ourcomplaints is invitation of senior members of the

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Ministry to attend NITA functions locally andinternationally as an enticement to suppress and do away  with employee concerns.

Ø The former cabinet secretary Amb. Ukur Yattani was rewarded with a lucrative position to employ his relative  as  the  Center  Manager,  NITA  Mombasa and  given  other  junior  positions  to  go  show  on employee concerns escalated to the Ministry which included;

·  Favoritism and nepotism

·  Open discrimination

·  Cruel, inhuman and degrading treatment ofemployees

·  Wrongful dismissals premeditated

·  Sexual harassment by two HR personnel whohave since existed the Authority

·  Strangers taking up job opportunities declared asinternal job advertisements.

·  Irregular and biased promotions offending faircompetition and merit

·  Compulsory and forced job re-designations

·  Arbitrary and perpetual harassment of employees

·  Forced transfers

Ø One  of  the  biggest  problems  faced  by  NITA is  Mr.  Ogenga’s  antagonistic  threats  and blackmail  of Internal Audit staff to scare them fromraising audit queries. Internal audit department issilenced and is now  likened  to  a  lame  duck. Consequently,  the  lack  of

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accountability  for  official  misconduct  has contributed to the widespread impunity by Mr.Ogenga.

Ø NITA employees have lost and confidence in theintegrity of Mr. Ogenga’s administrative andleadership style   on   official   matters   because   of  its   conflict   with   acceptable   standards   expected   of   him   by stakeholders.

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Ø Mr.  Ogenga  is  a  microphone  parrot  who  talks big  English  and  hullabaloos  to  suit  the  ears  of his audience.

Ø NITA is ailing because of Mr. Ogenga’s peripheralapproach in addressing issues affecting theAuthority.

·  No action on employees’ memorandum

· Several  employees  have  stagnated  in  the  same rank  for  years  with  a  chosen  few  benefiting because of ethnic and sex-oriented favours.

· Employers   are   not   reimbursed   on   time   and   an   instant   survey   will   reveal   the   frustrations experienced by such stakeholders.

·  Several instances of injustice remain unattendedto because of impunity.

·  It is frustration over frustration.

Ø Mr.   Ogenga   prioritize   what   he   directly   benefits   from   especially   taking   big   DSA   or   Per   diems accumulated to fund his local andforeign trotting. More recently he has been to theKingdom of Saudi Arabia, South Korea, Europe andsome parts of Africa including Benin without anymeaningful benefit to the Authority.

Ø He accumulated DSA for bribery and to enticeFKE & COTU members with no return on investment to NITA. It is simply wanton wastage of publicresources.

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Ø Mr.  Ogenga  committed  himself  during  a presidential  function  that  he  was  going  to support  on–site skilling and assessment as a wayof supporting the Affordable Housing Project.Internally, he has never initiated  any  discussions or  called  a  meeting  to  discuss  anything  angling towards  his  commitment before the President of The Republic of Kenya.

Ø Mr. Ogenga ;

·  Has  conducted  himself  in  a  manner  that  is prejudicial  to  the  interest  and  reputation  of  the

Authority.

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· Displays  a  conduct  which  is  inconsistent  or incompatible  with  the  due  or  peaceful  discharge of public duty to the Authority.

·  Has made it unsafe for the Authority to retain himin service.

·  Is grossly immoral that all reasonable men willagree that he cannot be trusted.

·  Is habitually negligent in respect of the duties forwhich he is engaged.

·  Is not meritorious and non- partisan in discharge ofpublic duty

BID RIGGING AND PROCUREMENT FRAUD

Ø Mr.  Ogenga  used  his  official  position  to influence  the  outcome  of  tender  evaluations which  he  has vested  interest  by  directing procurement  officers  through  intimidation  to compromise  procurement laws and procedures.

Ø Nothing  is  done  at  procurement  which  is  in accordance  with  government  policies  and regulations  on procurement  because  Mr.  Ogenga engages  himself in  the  business  of  canvassing in  the  procurement functions and processes.

Ø Mr. Ogenga causes intentional inefficiencies anddelays when he is required to sign contracts andaward letters.

Ø Successful bidders are tactically compelled toappear before the him before their contracts andaward letters are signed.

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Ø Some successful bidders have complained insilence about Mr. Ogenga’s deliberate delays ofholding of procurement  files  in  his  office  in  a scheme  orchestrated  to  facilitate  structural bureaucracy    and frustration to lure them to givenin to bribery and kickbacks.

Ø Corruption  at  NITA  is  an  ongoing  serious issue  which  has  dampened  the  Authority’s growth  and

lowered the quality of service delivery.

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Ø Employees  are  questioning  Mr.  Ogenga’s directives  founded  on  harassment  and intimidation  to  split the job roles of theProcurement Manager.

Ø Without  any  justification,  some  roles  of  the Procurement  Manager  were  taken  up  by  her immediate junior.  Is  it  that  the  Procurement Manager  is  incompetent  or  a  scheme  designed by  Mr.  Ogenga  to further  his  illegal  scheme  of divide  and  rule  to  cause  confusion  and paralysis  in  the  procurement department?  It  is outrageous  to  have  two  procurement  officers reporting  to  the  Director  General directly in asmall organization like NITA.

Ø Information available shows that procurement filesare deliberately retained by Mr. Ogenga in his office and very silently and with no written directive, he hasmade it mandatory for successful bidders to see himin person before their contracts and award lettersare signed.

Ø Bribery is a fact of life and necessary at NITA toget most procurement jobs done.

Ø EACC officers and sleuths from DCI are frequentvisitors to the office of the Director General following up on inquiries and investigations which turn out asmere public relations charades. Most of them leave the office smiling with brown envelopes.

THE RIP-OFF THROUGH HOME CAREMANAGEMENT

Ø Illegal insider trading is a serious breach offiduciary duty or other relationships of trust andconfidence.

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Ø It  is  unbelievable  that  Mr.  Ogenga  and  a number  of  rogue  employees  have  conspired and  registered training entities which are used tosiphon millions of funds intended for NITA.

Ø Mr.  Ogenga  is  unlawfully  using  his  position jointly  with  the  said  rogue  employees  to  derive financial benefit from NITA through fraud.

Ø Through   the   proxy   companies,   certificates   with   result   slips   for   modules   passed   and   proficiency certificates in Home care managementare issued illegally in the name of NITA.

Students  pay  fees  directly  to  Mr.  Ogenga’s proxies  and  factious  receipts  are  presented  to NITA  in  a conspiracy facilitated by one, James Omwoyo Nyangau, an accountant tasked withcreative accounting to conceal the massive theft.

Ø Home  Care  Management  is  a  cash  cow  and another  KEMSA  like  scandal  requiring  the immediate attention of DCI

Ø Mr.   Ogenga   is   back   stabbing   junior   officers  by   using   renown   activists   within   the   Home   care Management, especially some selected trainers andagents in the infighting over this rip-off.

Ø The real fraudster in this scam is Mr. Ogengahimself who has perfected the art of acting throughjunior employees to steal from the Authority.

Ø It  is  not  rocket  science  to  establish  that  the Mr.  Ogenga  is  in  bed  with  some  accredited trainers  and agents under Home CareManagement to steal from the Authority and todefeat its efforts to regulate this sector.

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Fees are collected, students are examined andcertificates are issued, fictitious receipts arepresented to NITA for creative accounting andmillions ends up in the pockets of criminalemployees in a complex web of theft facilitated byan FKE & COTU protected Director General.