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Kenya: NGO Asks State to End Water Board Infighting
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The Nation (Nairobi)
28 March 2008
Posted to the web 28 March 2008
Nairobi
An NGO wants the Government to put the operations of the Water Services Regulation Board in order.
The Kenya Water and Sanitation CSOs Network said boardroom wars were putting the board's ability to regulate the sector at risk.
"This sad state of affairs calls for a swift action from the Ministry of Water and Irrigation, which for the time being appears helpless in resolving the crisis at WASREB," the group said in a statement.
The lobby asked the minister to convene a partners' meeting to review the Water Act 2002, on board composition and management structures.
In the continuing infighting, the lobby said, the board of WASREB met this week and "sacked" CEO Daniel Barasa, replacing him with Public Relations Manager Herbert Kassamani in an acting capacity. The board argues that Mr Barasa was "imposed" on it by the ministry in contravention of the Water Act.
Arbitrarily replaced
"The law is clear that the CEO be appointed by the board and not any other authority. Mr Barasa arbitrarily replaced a senior officer appointed by the board to act as CEO as the board searched for a substantive CEO," board member Wanguhu Ng'ang'a says in a letter to minister John Munyes.
He was referring to a Mrs Njoroge who was acting CEO before Mr Barasa arrived on the day the board put out an advertisement for the job.
But yesterday, the NGO said the board had not explained the high turnover of CEOs. Staff anxiety, it said, had equally affected performance.
The lobby said WASREB had severe management and operational challenges, and as presently constituted, it was unrealistic to expect it to fulfil its mandate. Poor working environment for CEO's and top management had been caused by personal and political differences, it added.
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It called for the immediate disbanding of the board followed by internal reforms. The board composition and quality would equally need review to provide for professionals, it added.
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