The National Hospital Insurance Fund (NHIF) Chief Executive Officer Peter Kamunyo has been sued for allegedly embezzling the funds cash.
Shaffie Ali Hussein from the Nubians Human Rights Forum wants Kamunyo to be removed from office for allegedly promoting corruption and other irregularities in the organization.
Hussein has filed a petition to remove Kamunyo from office at the Employment and Labor Relations Court.
Kamunyo is accused in the petition of among other things, embezzling funds, backdating of salaries and making irregular appointments and transfers of members of staff without following due process.
Shaffie is the Executive Director of the Nubian Human Rights Forum.
Kamunyo is also accused of abusing his office by allegedly directly discriminating against well-deserving and hardworking members of staff.
Through Okatch and Partners advocates, Shaffie said the Fund will face inevitable crisis if Kamunyo is not replaced.
“This matter is of extreme public interest because the issues complained of herein clearly contravene the Constitution and the law and are contrary to public policy,” he said.
Shaffie wants the court to establish that Kamunyo’s actions were tantamount to abuse of office, misuse of public funds and usurping powers vested in the board of management of the NHIF.
He wants the court to issue orders compelling Kamunyo to provide records including the minutes of the interviews that led to the promotion of the staff at the State agency in April 2021.
“The actions of Kamunyo are detrimental to the proper service delivery and execution of the very sensitive mandate of NHIF to the public. The said actions have undermined hardworking staff as they have created employee demoralization, frustration and general apathy,” petition reads.
NHIF, the petition states, made an internal advertisement for vacancies, which were open to all members of staff.
However, the advertisement was rescinded in March 2021 and employees were advised to proceed as if the advertisement was never made.
Kamunyo later made 12 appointments in spite of the earlier notice rescinding the advertised vacancies, which the petition says are not only illegal but also undermine the public through misappropriation of public funds.
“The appointments were done in secret and without following due procedure, with no board approval as required by the NHIF Act.” Shaffie said.
Kamunyo is also accused of irregularly appointing individuals on permanent and pensionable terms for positions that are contractual as per the NHIF policy provisions and that attempts to settle the issue internally have been futile.
“Taxpayers’ money is being used for individual benefits for the unjust enrichment of a few individuals,” he said.
Shaffie added that Dr Kamunyo refused to be guided by the Constitution and the laid down procedures for internal promotions and instead chose to be guided by an “opaque, discriminative and unilateral discourse in the promotions.”
“He has directly infringed on the rights of the NHIF employees as guaranteed in Article 27 of the Constitution and the right to legitimate expectation,” he said.
Shaffie wants the court to compel the NHIF boss to provide a list of the promotions that have been made to members of staff since he assumed office in 2020 and the date the said promotions took effect.
He asked the Court to issue orders staying the appointments of members of staff and promotions Kamunyo made at the institution in April 2021.
He said they were affected without following due process.
Like us on facebook
https://web.facebook.com/hotnewspublications
Follow us on Twitter
https://twitter.com/hotnewsk
Website:
https://hotnews.co.ke/