The National Social Security Fund is due to meet this week to deliberate on a new managing trustee, as it emerged that the leading candidate for the position, Tom Odongo, did not receive clearance from EACC.
Intense lobbying is underway, with board members Francis Atwoli of Cotu and Jacquiline Mugo of the Federation of Kenya Employers rooting for Odongo, who is a former managing trustee.
Odongo came top in interviews, followed by Hosea Kili, the CEO of the Local Authorities Pension Trust Fund.
In third place is acting managing trustee Anthony Omerikwa.
The Ethics and Anti-Corruption Commission on November 21 wrote to PricewaterhouseCoopers, which conducted the recruitment, clearing Kili and two other candidates, Paul Mwai and Henry Kyanda.
“However, the commission received reports, where Tom Odongo is a subject of investigations. The commission is yet to conclude the same,” EACC deputy CEO Michael Mubea wrote.
To clear the way for Odongo, Cotu also sought to disqualify Omerikwa by complaining against him to the EACC, saying he was the subject of investigation during the recruitment process. Mubea, in the same letter, confirmed EACC received Cotu’s complaint against the acting managing trustee and is yet to verify the allegations.
Sacked in 2013
Odongo was appointed to the position in November 2012 and sacked in July 2013. He sued for wrongful dismissal, and an out-of-court settlement was signed to pay him a nine months salary of Sh2.9 million.
The Industrial Court, however, dismissed his application for reinstatement, ruling that by accepting the money, Odongo inadvertently signed-off on it and could not then turn around and claim his job back.
He joined Kenya Airways in February 2014 as the head of business development.
Odongo was replaced by Hope Mwashumbe, who held the position for five months, before she was replaced by Richard Langat in April 2014.
Langat was suspended to pave way for investigations into the development of the Tassia II settlement scheme, in which a construction contract cost was varied from the initial Sh3.3 billion to Sh5 billion.
In September, he was offered an exit package, paving way for the recruitment of a new managing trustee before the next general election.
The board offered Langat his salary for the entire period of his suspension running from April to August this year, and an undisclosed amount for the remainder of his contract to March 2017.
He was also offered a gratuity at 31 per cent on his consolidated pay. Further, he is to receive cash in exchange of his outstanding leave days. To top it up, the board has promised to give him a certificate of service.
Permanent seats
Langat has announced that he will vie for Kericho governor next year. Cotu and the FKE have permanent seats at the NSSF board. Atwoli has served the board for 15 years, while Mugo has served for 11 years.
Early this year, a private citizen filed a case seeking to have the two disqualified from sitting on the board.
Allan Mathenge argued that this was contrary to the new NSSF Act that sets a maximum of two three-year terms for board members. The case was dismissed.
NSSF has for years been dogged by corruption and management scandals and has not had a stable leadership for decades.