Parliament has been petitioned to stop the alleged plans to sell Kenya Utalii Hotel and to probe the management mess at the facility.
Kenya Utalii College Alumni Association (KUCCA) and the Union of Civil Servants yesterday told MPs that Kenya Utalii College is on the verge of collapse if action is not taken to save the situation.
The stakeholders, who were before National Assembly’s Sports, Culture and Tourism committee chaired by Mavoko MP Patrick Makau, blamed current CEO Hashim Mohamed and the council for what they termed running down of the once giant training institution.
KUCCA chairman Mark Rachuonyo also accused the CEO of nepotism in staff recruitment at the hospitality and training institution.
Rachuonyo maintained that the hotel and the college should be treated as one entity and any attempts to sell the hotel will only serve to water down the quality of learning at the institution.
The Tourism ministry has been contemplating either to lease or sell the hotel on the grounds that it is unable to self-sustain.
“The college and the hotel are one thing. In fact the hotel is the laboratory for hundreds of students who are learning there,” Rachuonyo said.
“We appeal to this committee to declare the proposed sale or leasing of the hotel irregular and illegal and institute a probe on the motive behind it,” Rachuonyo said.
“The college, as an internationally recognised hospitality and tourism training institution, does not adhere to globally labour best practices. Employees are recruited and promoted through favouritism, nepotism and cronyism.”
The 50,000-member KUCCA also petitioned the Makau-led committee to investigate alleged transfer of 64 acres of Kenya Utalii Utalii College land in Vipingo meant for the Coast branch of the college.
According to Rachuonyo, Tourism Cabinet Secretary Najib Balala allegedly allocated part of the land to Ronald Ngala Utalii College in breach of the law that prohibits two parastatals with duplicating roles.
“We request the committee to demand answers as to why the CS wrote to the CEO requesting to have the title rectified. This needs to be verified as to what the error in the title was and whether any changes occurred,” he said.
KUCCA maintained that the land in question was a gift to the college and cannot be transferred.
- mwaniki fm
