Business Daily (Nairobi)
George Omondi
10 July 2009
The Kenya Medical Training College (KMTC) staff union has petitioned the Medical Services minister to disband the institution's board in yet another move that raises questions on the management of the country's health facilities.
In a letter addressed to Prof Anyang' Nyong'o - and seen by the Business Daily - the union has catalogued various cases of corruption that it claims the institution's board members committed during their tenure.
Staff recruitment and promotion, and the handling of college and staff welfare finances are some of the areas the union say are most riddled with corruption.
On Thursday, the union officials vowed to fight on. "We are making it plain and clear to the minister that sanity in the management of this institution can only be restored if the entire board is sent home and a fresh one reconstituted," said Mr Joseph Okweso, the KMTC Staff Welfare Association chairman.
At the height of corruption allegations four years ago, the institution's board forced its director, Dr Timothy King'ondu, to go on compulsory leave, naming one of his two deputies to replace him on an acting capacity pending corruption investigations against him.
The union claims the move left a management vacuum at the institution that has been exploited by the board to perpetrate corruption.
In the letter to Prof Nyong'o, the union also wants the minister to stop the board from overseeing the recruitment of a new director of the institution , saying the process was likely to "yield another corrupt individual".
"The depth of corruption in this institution demands that the incoming director be of utmost integrity to lead the cleaning up exercise," said Mr Okweso
If the union is granted its wish, the institution is likely to suffer the same fate that befell the Kenya Medical Supplies Agency's (Kemsa) exactly one year ago. In July, last year, the Government dissolved Kemsa's board, citing inefficiency in the supply of drugs to public hospitals.
At the time, Prof Nyong'o also sent the agency's CEO, Dr Charles Kandie, on compulsory leave, replacing him with his deputy, Mr John Munyu, in an acting capacity.
The report of a taskforce appointed weeks later to investigate the alleged mismanagement has since recommended the sacking of the former CEO and his replacement through and open and a competitive recruitment process.
On Thursday, Mr Odweso said mismanagement of the institution was the reason the institution, that came into existence at the beginning of last century, was not offering degree courses.
KMTC, which has 28 colleges across the country, offers only certificate and diploma courses while other government institution that were established several years later like the Kenya polytechnic and Kenya Science Teachers College now offer degree courses and other parallel courses to boost revenues.
The new tiff with the board is likely to heighten hostility between the board and the academic union. Last year, the board scrapped the Sh50 union membership fee in a move that the officials say was meant to weaken its activities
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