MPs question institution heads over imbalances in staff diversity in Western

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National Assembly’s Committee on National Cohesion interrogating managers of public institutions from the Western region continues with its sittings today.

The institutions are being interrogated over imbalances in staff diversity

The Committee chaired by Adan Haji Yussuf held its first sitting Monday in Kisumu where managements of various public institutions appeared.

The meeting comes following concerns about diversity imbalance in employment and compliance with the 30 per cent rule on procurement reservation to special interest groups.

It has emerged that the region’s dominant community took the lion’s share of job opportunities.

“Reports that have been tabled before us indicate that management of the public institutions is far away from complying with the law on equality in the employment of staff,” Yussuf said.

Some of the institutions that appeared before the Committee were Masinde Muliro University led by vice chancellor Solomon Shivairo and Maseno University under the leadership of Julius Nyabundi.

CEOs of Lake Victoria South and North Water Companies also appeared before the Committee for interrogation on the same.

Revelations that 64 per cent of staff at Masinde Muliro University were from one community stunned members who asked the institutions to comply with the law.

The Committee was however impressed that Maseno University was addressing the imbalance in its staff diversity as reports indicated that the number of one community-dominating job opportunities had declined from 64 per cent to 61 per cent.

“The three per cent, though minimal, is an indication of the university moving in the right direction,” the chairperson said.