All is not well at National Water Harvesting and storage Authority (NWHSA). According to sources, the board is deeply divided with a section blaming Sharon Obonyo, the Chief Legal Affairs Officer, for engaging into witch-hunt. Obonyo is also accused of using her closeness to chairman Erick Okeyo to intimidate board members, senior management staff and manipulating of tenders.
When Engineer Geoffrey Sang then Chief Executive Officer (CEO) position was revoked, Obonyo was appointed to act. According to an insider, Obonyo was instrumental in the arrest of Sang, Joseph Ojiambo (Head of Human Resources), Lydiah Korir (then acting head of procurement) and then authority’s head of security.
Weekly Citizen has information, Obonyo and a section of board members in a move to have one of their own land CEO slot put an advert in which for one to qualify needs to have 15 year experience. One of the applicants, Kenneth Mwangi, moved to Employment and Labour Relations Court to stop planned recruitment of NWHSA CEO. To Mwangi, the Water Act provided for 10 years experience, five which should be in a senior managerial position in a public or private organization.
Obonyo’s name features prominently in award of bore hole drilling tenders across the country, construction of pans and current dams of Chemusus, Soia-Koru, Siyoi-Muruny, Kiserian and Maruba. The parastatal falls under ministry of Water and Sanitation whose Cabinet Secretary Sicily Kariuki. The board has Okeyo (chairman) Benard Otieno Okebe, Dr Geofrey Gitau Kamanu, Benticha Jaldesa, Monicah Cherutich, Waningilo Walubengo, Jane Mwikali, Abdi Dara, Engineer Sao Alima, Samuel Mwati, Elema Huka and Chris Makokha as directors.
Majority of the directors are against Obonyo. The bad blood within the board has trickled down to the management. Currently, it is said, Oboyo’s kitchen cabinet has Okeyo, Okebe, Patrick Ataro (General Manager Finance) Joseph Ojiambo (Chief Human Resource and Administration) and Engineer Reuben Itiko (Construction and Electro Mechanical department). Sidelined in the management are Engineer Henry Kigenyi (Chief Engineer, Technical Planning and Design), Samuel Gatiti (ICT), Ms Nancy Rotich (Quality Management System and George Nyabicha (Marketing officer).
Threats, intimidation and dropping of big names is the order of the day at the strategic water parastatal. As a result, John Musyoka the procurement officer has been forced to award tenders to firms that do not qualify. Even Philip Nzengu, the Chief Internal Auditor has fallen prey to the current management style. Those who know Obonyo well say, she does not control her tempers, proud and boasts how well she is connected in the corridors of power and is financing the Water CS campaigns in Nyandarua to upstage Governor Francis Kimemia come next year’s general elections.
Two firms associated with Obonyo proxies are enjoying multi-million tenders at the parastatal. Her social background is also questionable but hiding her wealth in bank accounts operated by distant relatives to avoid state agencies tracing them.
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