NITA Staff Bitter Complaint Against HR Director Dr Julius Olayo

The staff of National Industrial Training Institute (NITA) have written to the Engineer Peter Tum, the Principal Secretary – State Department for Labour, Ministry of Labour and Social Protection complaining about mistreatment by their Human Resource and Administration Director Mr. Julius Olayo.

In a letter seen by cnyakundi.com dated 4th December 2019, the staff members list their grievances in 9 points.

The staff accuse their HR and administration Director of corruption and professional misconduct.

“NITA Staff would like to bring your attention once more as the Accounting Officer of the Ministry responsible for NITA the unbecoming conduct of the above named. There are widespread and credible allegations of corruption, ethical and professional misconduct by the above officer requiring urgent attention and decisive action“, part of the letter says

It continues to state that the staff have lost faith and trust in Mr Olayo.

The 9-point agenda letter titled ‘Concealed Transgressions Exposed’,  is shared below in full:

NITA STAFF COMPLAINTS AGAINST MR JULIUS O OLAYO DIRECTOR HR & ADMINISTRATION

NITA Staff would like to bring your attention once more as the Accounting Officer of the Ministry responsible for NITA the unbecoming conduct of the above named. There are widespread and credible allegations of corruption, ethical and professional misconduct by the above officer requiring urgent attention and decisive action. This is a state officer who is untrustworthy and NITA employees have lost faith and trust in him. Our complaints on the professional misconduct of Mr. Olayo traverse the following;

1. OLAYO IS BEHIND DELIBERATE, NON-CONSULTATIVE & FORCED DEPLOYMENT OF STAFF WITHOUT DUE REGARD TO THEIR SUITABILITY FOR THE POSITIONS.

At the heart of every deployment and transfer is consultation. Ever since 2014 when Mr. Olayo joined NITA from KFS, he has advanced an HR policy framework which is inconsistent with the rules of employees’ employment terms on job description, specification, skills, expertise, designation, experience, personal circumstances and general Career Progression guidelines as delegated by the Public Service Commission.

We accuse him of orchestrating deliberate and haphazard deployments, re-designations and transfers on a particular grouping of staff with an ulterior purpose to punish & discriminate or cause pain and suffering. He manages the HR Unit like his personal business entity with high degree of handedness not to mention his perpetual acts of intentional misinterpretation of the HR Policy which he has weaponized against staff with unbearable levels of barbarism.

It is not practical to wake up, say, be at workplace on time only to be served with a redeployment/re-designation/transfer letter without reasons nor prior consultation and this has become a panacea for dictatorship at NITA.

2. WE ARE AGAINST MR OLAYO’S SILENT WEAPON OF ACTING THROUGH OTHER EMPLOYEES

Mr Olayo is engaging in the prohibitive conduct of acting through a payroll some employees against staff while Ernest Nadome & Joyce Mwale are the silent hands at the NITA Board in support of Mr Olayo by entertaining his nonsensical acts 24/7 as they look forward to declarations for vacant positions arising out of premeditated and forced exits to replace their relatives.

Facts have been assembled and needless to say, Ernest Nadome is an eyesore. He was the champion of very unpopular and adverse decisions taken against employees on account of false leaks, innuendos, gossip, and screaming headlines of rumors peddled around by self-seekers like one, Gabriel Akimwanary Obasie who became a victim of a friendly fire. He caused mayhem out of gossip and karma wasn’t far. He was never to be the Manager! As a way of naming and shaming. Mr. Olayo is acting through the following long list of individuals as his personal spies against employees;

1. Collins Omollo – Security Officer/Relative – HQs
2. Dan Jerenga – Admin Officer/Nephew – HQs
3. Evans Odhiambo – Levy Inspector/Eric Owino’s brother – Mombasa
4. Bernard Ombete – Driver/Relative _ HQs
5. Peter Otieno _ HR Officer/ Eric Owino’s Brother _ HQs
6. Eric Owino – HR Officer/Left for Kenya Film Commission – HQs
7. Collins Owino – ITO/Eric Owino’s Relative – HQs
8. Beatrice Omala – Procurement Officer/Nephew – HQs
9. Fridah Muthoni –HR Clerk/Mr. Olayo’s Sister-in-law _HQS
10. Nicholas Ochieng – ITO/Mr. Olayo’s Relative – NITA Kisumu
11. Wilfred Onyango – Clerk/Trade Test
12. Brian Odhiambo – Accountant/Kisumu
13. Musa Opuk– Unqualified Levy Officer & ITO- Kisumu
14. Sally Cynthia Ojwang- HR (Eric Owino’s slay queen) HQs
15. Maureen Shikoli – HR (Julius Olayo’s slay queen) HQs
16. Eric Abok – ITO/HQs
17. Peter Odhiambo – ITO/ Ksm
18. Joseph Jura – ITO/HQs (Perpetual absentee at workplace)
19. Francis Onyango – ITO/HQs
20. Michael O Amimo –ITO/HQs
21. And finally, a stream of several other junior employees largely from Olayo’s Luo ethnic community employed discreetly through back door.

Mr Olayo’s strong-arm and scaremongering tactics remain the cause of dissent by NITA Staff. He is an enemy of the values and principles of public service and national ethos given a detailed looking at his HR professional undertakings.

3. MR OLAYO IS THE HIGH PRIEST OF OPEN DISCRIMINATION, FAVOURITISM, IMPUNITY AND AN ETHNIC CABAL
4. We demand that Mr Olayo be investigated on matters related to disciplinary control, recruitment scams and corruption on the award of Group Medical Insurance Tenders for NITA. He is culprit at the centre of all facets of maladministration and questionable decisions made with far reaching consequences on employees’ careers. This is an individual who has no regard for the rule of law in the wider prosecution of his professional undertakings. Its either his way or the highway.
5. Olayo’s salient appetite for high office and big-man mentality saw him lobby for a promotion to the level of a Director through a Boardroom begging arrangement. This undeserving promotion was NEVER subjected to fair competition and merit as required of appointments and promotions in The Public Service. It was Ernest Nadome who bulldozed this agenda through to finality in his capacity as Chairperson, HR Committee and as a payback, Olayo was to Nadome’s friends, relatives and cronies for employment.
6. Through the Ministry and the Public Service Commission, Mr. Olayo’s explanation should be sought as to why members of his ethnic community (luos) are beneficiaries of almost all opportunities related to recruitments/appointments and promotions.

Interestingly, we call for further investigation into the following;

1. Eric Owino (NOW at Kenya Film Commission on a doctored CV) was recruited at NITA on the basis of a vacancy declaration of NITA 8 position or the equivalent of a JG ‘L’. Why was he issued with an appointment letter placing him at NITA 9? What magic did he perform to earn an undeserving promotion to NITA 10 within eight months of his recruitment into NITA in March, 2015? This was a Boardroom begged promotion without the basis of fair competition and merit. Is it because he was Luo? The legitimacy of Eric’s promotion is contested till this day despite his exit.
2. Why was Ruth Dero (formerly a Customer Service Attendant at Kimisitu Sacco) promoted to NITA 10 through a manipulative process? A Mr Sammy Cheboi was denied the opportunity of a Manager, Corporate Communications despite his superior qualifications. Is it because he was not from Mr. Olayo’s ethnic background of being a Luo? Why is Ruth continuing to perform her tasks in an acting capacity for the third year running? Why is the post not being advertised to attract qualified Kenyans?

• Elvina Osodo, the Manager Supply Chain was recruited against all odds in a process whose interview questions she accessed prior to the interview through Mr Fix It, Eric Owino. She was fired over corruption from the County Government of Kisumu for awarding tenders to family members and relatives apart from demanding kickbacks. Mr Olayo hoodwinked NITA Board to into adopting a doctored background check report of a job applicant in Elvina Osodo who has a tainted and questionable background. This same misconduct has replicated itself at NITA.

Ms Osodo has taken the sole control of dictating on who should be given tenders from the list of prequalified suppliers and service providers. She has used this opportunity to award tenders to a list of preferred clients largely from her ethnic backyard- the luos. Things are falling apart in the Supply Chain department because of her intricate web of dealing with service providers secretly.

It does not call rocket science to infer the purpose of undeclared intentions of a carefully selected & appointed list of preferred employees (largely from her tribe) tasked with the opening and evaluation of tenders from time to time. Ms. Osodo was conflicted from her day one of appointment to NITA and she is now advancing a regime of non-transparency in the award of tenders at NITA through a well-knit conspiracy. Purity Mwirigi was fired for reasons not related to this save for her personal hate by a Board member. We shall not name the Board member for now because of an ongoing court case.

1. Why was Collins Omollo promoted to the position of Head of Security as executed by Eric Owino-Mr Fix-It, when the substantive officer resigned for greener pastures? He did not have the basic minimum qualifications to merit the promotion other than being Luo and Olayo’s relative.
2. When Martin Ayoo resigned for greener pastures, Karoli Otieno was promoted to NITA 10 through an ethnic inclined and scandalous recruitment process executed by Eric Owino-Mr Fix-it. Initially, he had been promoted secretly from NITA 8 to NITA 9 under unclear circumstances that never observed transparency, fair competition and merit.

It was outrageous to redeploy an Industrial Training Officer from Trade Test to take up the roles of an ICT officer in the absence of the relevant competencies. Eligible applicants with superior qualifications at the mainstream ICT department were discriminated and shortchanged by Mr Olayo because they were non-luos as executed by Eric Owino-Mr Fix-it before taking refuge at Kenya Film Commission.

1. What magic was performed to promote the newly employed Collins Owino (Eric Owino’s relative) to NITA 10 and his subsequent deployment to Trade Test as in-charge in an ethnic inclined arrangement to replace Karoli Otieno, his fellow tribesman? This is a greenhorn who joined NITA in a recent past and he lacks the competency, expertise and experience to manage Trade Test, a critical function at NITA. Are Luo’s more educated and qualified than other NITA staff? Karoli Otieno replaced the retired David Ogenya, another for the record.

Tom Oyaro, Alfred Makhoka, Simon Kiarie, Paul Gitonga, Douglas Momanyi, Gipson Ndwiga, Zachary Mutonga, Paul Litaba, Moses Kamunge, Timothy Irungu, Phyllis Kiplagat, Joseph Njeru, Peter Njiru, Lucy Wambugu and Dr. Rose Komu and many other staff, formerly DIT are technocrats with unrivalled expertise, experience and qualifications on Industrial Training. For obvious reasons, were they overlooked because of their ethnic background – simply because they are NOT luos.

One thing is clear, the massive fraud of Trade Test fees is yet to be investigated. Was Mr Owino’s placement a calculated move intended to aid in cover up now that Ogenya retired and Karoli has moved to ICT?

• Why was Peter Otieno (Eric Owino’s blood brother) confirmed into P & P terms of service and elevated as the In-Charge Payroll in a selection and recruitment process interrogated by his own brother, Eric Owino before taking refuge at Kenya Film Commission & Julius Olayo to the disadvantage of other candidates with superior qualifications?

This is one of the individuals among many others recruited through fraud and ethnic-inclined recruitments- a brother recruits a brother, seriously?

Why was George Eyinda, the payroll maestro moved out of payroll in unexplained circumstances? Payroll was reorganized in a skewed manner to eject non-Luo employees to pave way for the chosen ones.

• Brian Odhiambo was employed at NITA through another outrageous & scandalous process which saw potential Kenyans fall victim to vacancy declarations intended for PR purposes only.

Brian came on board guised as an attaché and almost immediately, he was recruited in the system on Temporary Terms of service. Within no time, he was confirmed into P&P Terms of Service and elevated to the substantive position of a Centre Accountant at NITA Kisumu and Mr James Ikubi, the seasoned Accountant was dispatched to Revenue office at NITA HQs to execute inferior portfolios.

Brian was NOT recruited on the basis of fair competition and merit as executed by Eric Owino-Mr Fix-it before taking refuge at Kenya Film Commission. This was done premised on Brian’s family relationship with Mr. Olayo with eligible Kenyans and long serving employees on Temporary Terms of Service were locked out and discriminated against because there was no one to voice their concerns.

It was irresponsible and an act of impunity to consider a greenhorn in the absence of requisite expertise and competence.

1. Fridah Muthoni is Mr Olayo’s sister-in-law (Blood Sister to Olayo’s wife}. The conversion of her Terms of Service to P&P was done in a recruitment exercise riddled with manipulation and fraud as executed by Eric Owino-Mr Fix-it before taking refuge at Kenya Film Commission. She was placed in an undeserving Job Group under mysterious circumstances which did not observe fair competition and merit.
2. We are told choices have consequences. Alfred Jamal (Olayo’s nephew and brother to Brian Odhiambo, Accountant – NITA Kisumu) disappeared with Ksh 12M through fraud. Mr Olayo used the prevailing confusion to load frivolous accusations against Gabriel Obasie and Rosemary Nabwire as a collateral damage over his nephews’ criminal actions. Mr Obasie’s exit was fueled further by the bad blood between him and Mr Kosgei, the former DG over perpetual gossip, a trademark which was synonymous Obasie. The innocent bystander in the whole drama was Ms Rosemary Nabwire, a poor woman who had no options in the face of an intricate web conspiracy which had roped in some Board members who were oblivious of the infighting at Management. She was left at the mercy of Mr Fix It, Eric Owino and Olayo. Rosemary is now fighting for elusive justice over stage-managed accusations.
3. Corporate Communications, Supply Chain Management, Industrial Training, HR & Admin, Enterprise & Marketing, Security, Trade Test, Female Engineering are key departments headed by members of one ethnic community, the Luos. This is clear demonstration that NITA’s selection and recruitment process falls short of fair competition and merit as the basis of appointments, promotions and representation of Kenya’s diverse communities. NITA is an animal farm.
4. IRREGULAR, BIASED AND DISCRIMINATIVE RECRUITMENT AND PROMOTION OF DRIVERS

By the time of building this expose’, revelations indicate that the following drivers were recruited into NITA by Julius Olayo’s cartel without subjecting them to the statutory requirement of Government Suitability Test which is mandatory.

1. Bernard Ombete

• He is Julius Olayo’s relative/self-appointed driver & his covert spy.
• Ombete has just caused an accident along Mombasa Road through reckless driving with NITA’s brand-new Chevrolet TRAILBLAIZER worth Ksh. 6.5M and the vehicle is damaged beyond repair and reliable sources say it is written off.
• And before the dust settles and before Mr Ombete is asked to explain the circumstances that lead to the loss, he has been assigned another brand new ISUZU D-MAX to chauffer Olayo during the ongoing Trade Test exercise. This same vehicle was assigned to Thika Levy Office but under mysterious circumstances, it was recalled to HQs to supplement Julius Olayo’s erratic movements. {The call it Gari ya Director HR}
• Ombete was involved in the said accident while enroute Mombasa to chauffer around Mr Olayo who had taken a flight earlier. It beats logic that whereas Olayo had been paid Airport taxi allowance, isn’t this sheer misuse of resources and the Internal Auditor sees no wrong in this? NITA is an animal farm.
• Ombete joined NITA using falsified documents from Kenya Forest Service having been dismissed for causing a similar   accident through reckless and careless driving. He actually submitted a letter of reference purporting that he was an employee of KFS at the time which was utter dishonest and Olayo was privy to this arrangement but he looked the other way to save his kin.
• Ombete picks and drops Mr Olayo from home when Olayo is being paid commuter allowance and no query has ever been raised by internal audit all because he is the Boss/Director HR.

1. Jonah Njenga
2. Michael Kituku
3. Joseph Erot– recruited through rear door
4. Elisha Obinda– recruited through rear door
5. Titus Yator-Former DG Paul Kosgei’s official driver.
6. Gabriel E Lopoyo –recruited through rear door

When they went for suitability test during a promotion opening, they all failed the preliminary test and were sent away by the Government Driving Test Examiner.

During the subsequent opening for promotion, Mr. Olayo designed a Psychometric Test to make it easy for his driver/relative Ombete and Mr. Kosgei’s driver, Yator to sail through easily because Mr. Fix-It. Erick Owino was duly instructed under covert to manipulate the psychometric Test results in favour of the two drivers. Both were promoted in open discrimination and to the disadvantage of more qualified drivers who had presented their candidature for promotion. Ashamedly, vacancy declarations and promotions at NITA continue go for the highest bidder!

5. WE CONDEMN OLAYO’S IMPROPER USE OF THE NITA BOARD’S NAME TO ADVANCE HIS PERSONAL AGENGA & EXPLOITS
6. Mr Olayo has perfected the art of using scaremongering tactics and intimidation against employees using the NITA Board’s name. Several staff have kept away from this horrendous Chartered HR Practitioner over his outrageous conduct. There are no avenues for staff to report Olayo’s misconduct.
7. Kosgei, the former DG was an architect of his own dramatic downfall over a self-made imprisonment to Julius Olayo’s conmanship. A substantial number of his actions and decisions were virtually influenced and shaped by the opportunist in Olayo. He was hoodwinked into believing that Mr. Olayo pulls the strings because of his alleged allegiance and close relationship with members from a section of the NITA Board especially Ernest Nadome who was motivated by special/personal interests and needless to say, he is not a credible guardian of public interest at the NITA Board.

Ernest Nadome assumed predominance of arbitrary power as Chairman of Board’s Committee on HR in the dream thinking that NITA is a subsidiary of COTU and therein lies the root cause of Mr. Julius Olayo’s misconduct – living in patronage.

He became a convenient conveyor belt for recruiting relatives, friends and cronies for certain NITA Board Members and the most notorious remain Joyce Mwale (representative of the PS, State Department of Labour), Alice Nyariki and Ernest Nadome. Further, Nadome & Olayo assumed a strong and organized special interest group of persons pursuing own purpose at the expense of the public interest at NITA. Olayo & Nadome are never genuine champions of the public interest.

1. Ernest Nadome & co. became a cartel which disregarded the prescriptions of law, especially where they viewed legal requirements as hindering their attainment of short-term objectives or other ends. Because law is dispensed with whenever it becomes convenient to do –so for them, a culture of impunity emerged at NITA where the law ceased to be authoritative. This gave Olayo & Nadome a free hand to do what they wanted including use of the law to intimidate staff into silence or into obeying illegal commands, largely because of the absence of accountability mechanisms and patronage – Olayo became a hired mercenary against staff for the highest bidder at the NITA Board.
2. Failure by the NITA Board to institutionalize the code of conduct function universally across all staff served as a license and a blank cheque for Olayo to breach conflict of interest rules with impunity on matters selection & recruitment, transfers, deployments, duty assignments and disciplinary control.
3. THE SKEWED AND IMPROPER SELECTION & RECRUITMENT OF DRIVERS HAS CAUSED THE AUTHORITY LOSSES IN ASSETS THROUGH ACCIDENTS – CHOICES COME WITH CONSEQUENCES.

• Fred Kapeli Naanga Nambanga (relative to a former Board member) caused an accident through reckless driving with William Mwanza (Manager Industrial Training) on board and a GK NISSAN XTRAIL was written-off as a consequence. This is the same driver who drove carelessly and sandwiched NITA’s Motor vehicle between a cash in-transit and a security escort van within the city with staff members on board thereby creating a scary scene that almost saw police officers in the chase car open gun fire over suspected obstruction & robbery given the sensitive nature of the escort. Nambanga is an absent minded driver who should be assigned local run assignments like going to Posta, supermarket and other errands including going to Marikiti to get watermelons and apples.
• The late Kipkemboi Kesse (May his Soul RIP) reported to Levy Office in Eldoret straight from the village without going through any formal recruitment process let alone applying for the job – he was literally handpicked from Mr Kosgei’s rural village. He caused an accident through careless and reckless driving with NITA’s brand new ISUZU D-MAX worth Ksh. 5.2M which claimed his own life and the officer on Board, Henry Munyasia would later die over accident related injuries while the vehicle was written off.
• Fred Maina of Kakamega has in the recent past caused an accident in Bungoma with NITA’s brand new ISUZU D-MAX worth Ksh 5.2M through reckless and careless driving while on private errands. This is an individual recruited on the basis of his family relationship with the former Transport Officer, Junias Otiti just as is the case for Caro Ngesa in HR who is Otiti’s relative. NITA is about relatives! relatives! relatives! We are waiting to see what will come of this now that NITA is an animal farm.
• Joseph Mwabebe is an alcoholic driver with strong connections with Olayo. He caused an accident through careless and reckless driving with a brand new FORD RANGER, a motor vehicle belonging to the World Bank funded KYEOP Project and no disciplinary action has ever been taken against him because NITA is an animal farm.
• Joseph Jura, who worked in Nyeri levy office briefly had travelled to NITA HQs on official duty some two years back but on the Friday of going back to Nyeri, he directed the driver to drop him in Nakuru to catch a matatu to Eldoret where he lives with the family.

On their way to Nakuru, the vehicle, a Toyota Hilux Double Cabin was involved in an accident and Mr Jura was never called to explain why the vehicle was involved in an accident off the designated route of Nairobi to Nyeri from NITA HQs. On his perpetual absenteeism from duty, Olayo sees no transgression because of their common ethnic tag.

7. THE GRANDMASTER OF FAKE NEWS & GOSSIP WHO DUPED THE NITA BOARD – ‘CPA’ GABRIEL AKIMWANARY OBASIE.

On account of false leaks, innuendos, gossip, and screaming headlines of rumors peddled around by self-seekers like Gabriel Akimwanary Obasie, Thomas Nakitare and James Omwoyo Nyangau, an orgy of violence by some NITA Board members was meted against staff and the following employees lost their jobs/resigned for greener pastures;

1. Kahara Mbugua– Manager, Finance Levy & Administration – Matter in ELRC
2. Purity Mwirigi– Manager Supply Chain Management – Matter in High Court
3. Jeremiah Mugambi – Manager, ICT – Resigned
4. James Andako– Manager, Internal Audit – Matter in ELRC
5. Teresa Nduta Mukora – ITO – {Fired over sheer gossip by Elkana Kirundi}
6. George Ochieng Anangwe – Levy Officer – Fired over Sheer gossip by Mr. Obasie
7. Simon Peter Kariuki Mwangi– Levy Officer- Fired over Sheer gossip by Mr. Obasie
8. Rachael Kasichana Iha – Levy Officer- Fired over Sheer gossip by Mr. Obasie
9. David Kibet Sirma – Levy Officer- Fired over Sheer gossip by Mr. Obasie
10. Benjamin Lorunyei Lokor – Levy Officer- Fired over Sheer gossip by Mr. Obasie
11. Alfred Ochieng Jamal – Levy Officer- Fired over Sheer gossip by Mr. Obasie & Stealing by servant Ksh 12M through fraud.

Gabriel Akimwanary Obasie was dismissed from service after failing to prescribe for himself the necessary medicine when Alfred Jamal defrauded the Authority under his watchful eye. Wherever he might be, he should be advised never to cry foul. He got the precise prescription of medicine befitting a gossiper at work place. He ‘worked very hard’ to bring down Kahara Mbugua to have himself appointed the Manager, Finance & Levy Administration and went further to ‘put in an extra effort’ by purchasing a used Japanese Volkswagen Passat to embrace the court of public opinion as the new ‘boss’ in town. He is holding none of these now!

Nadome & Olayo are persons known with apathetic desires to see the suffering of other beings for personal gratification. They took advantage of Mr. Obasie’s gossip to lace lies on official matters by juicing up gossip stories against employees including adding details that didn’t exist in a similar way that Olayo is known to provide countless reasons to validate dishonesty on recruitments, promotions & disciplinary control.

Nadome purposefully engineered and lobbied for the unfortunate removal of innocent employees in 2017 through his hired mercenary in Julius Olayo all because he wanted Mr. Lokor out. With Nadome & Olayo, its apparently clear that staff served at “their pleasure” based on the terminations witnessed in F2017/2018.

Teresa Mukora suffered the worst treatment courtesy of Olayo’s dishonesty and barbaric handling of her disciplinary case. This is an innocent and hardworking employee with unrivalled academic qualifications and expertise in Industrial Training. She was fired because of her ethnic background and the lack of understanding of her psychological related shortcoming. Olayo took her case as a contest on who is powerful and Teresa lost the battle as Olayo went around claiming that those who will not toe his line will follow Ms. Mukora’s way.

8. NITA BOARD HAD BECOME A CONSUMER OF FAKE NEWS, TERRIBLE, HORRIBLE, NO GOOD, VERY BAD LEGAL AND HR ADVICE COURTESY OF JULIUS OCHIENG OLAYO & IRINE MORAA OGAMBA.
9. Ogamba’s legal background is traced to Gujarati in India and the problems facing NITA Board can’t be elaborated beyond what is known of the ‘expert in her’. Her questionable academic background and limited expertise in law has manifested itself through her shortcomings as a Manager, Legal & Board services.

The NITA Board is a subject of legal advisory services gone south and the little we write about her, the better. The Board was a consumer of misleading, dishonest and misrepresented content courtesy of Ms. Irine Ogamba.

1. CHRP(K) Julius Ochieng Olayo, PhD shall remain a disaster in the history of NITA! CHRP(K) is an acronym for a Chartered Human Resource Practitioner of Kenya. PhD according to the Oxford dictionary, is an acronym for Doctor of Philosophy being a university degree of a very high level that is given to somebody who has done research in a particular subject (Olayo’s case is HR). Olayo’s PhD has been invalidated by the Council of Higher Education over a wanting supervision among other reasons. He will have to go back to JKUAT to sort his messes.

However;

1. With all these decorations notwithstanding, his actions, professional undertakings and decisions do NOT give a true reflection of the man holding such accolades and insignia (if any). Olayo suffers a serious deficiency with no immediate treatment in terms of his HR advisory services to the NITA Board. The only remedy is to let him go! He is a liability to the organization with limited understanding of the Kenyan statutory order consisting of statutes, regulations, codes of conduct, and practices of governmental institutions/state corporations.
2. With the exposure of Olayo’s unauthorized, illegitimate, and unjust exercises of office power, he should be called upon to account for his actions to rectify the mistakes that have come to light. He is to blame for the never ending NITA staff problems and our complaints should not be buried behind a wall of official silence.

The former DG, Paul Kosgei was the touchstone of accountability but he failed miserably by entertaining Olayo to encroach his working space and as a payback, Olayo took maximum advantage to manipulate and mislead him and the former Industrial Court judge had to eat the humble pie and retreat to his little known farm in Kipkabus.

• Julius Olayo actions reflect a public officer with no idea of his duty of professionalism and prohibited activities such as improper enrichment, conflicts of interest, acting through others, partisanship, nepotism, and sexual harassment given his acts of impunity in significant levels. He is best described as ‘an exemplary public official of uncommon dishonesty’ very unwelcome in modern-day’s public service.

1. As highlighted here before, Olayo was not acting alone but he was heavily influenced by factors outside his formal operating arrangements, chain of command and in direct conflict with mandated duties. Ernest Nadome was the silent force in support of his actions and decisions. For example, the dismissal of employees in December 2017 was clandestine in appearance and execution and it fell short and outside the acceptable standards of procedure, the principle of natural justice and the rule law.
2. Ernest Nadome taught Olayo bad manners to the extent that he forgot that public officers are holders of a public trust, who are accountable to the people for the exercise of the powers delegated to them in a constitutional arrangement intended to promote public confidence in the integrity of the offices which they hold.
3. IT IS REVEALED! JULIUS OLAYO IS THE OFFICER WHO INVITED POLICE OFFICERS IN PLAIN-CLOTHES TO CAMP IN THE AUTHORITY EARLY THIS YEAR.
4. The said police officers operated from an office within the supply chain department and staff were displaced to give them room.
5. They interrogated employees from particular ethnic community over anonymous letters voicing concern over Olayo’s professional misconduct.
6. Who gave Mr Olayo the authority to invite police officers to the authority to question & interrogate staff in a systematic ethnic profiling targeting largely the Kikuyus and Kalenjins?
7. Was the NITA Board privy to this covert arrangement?
8. Whistleblowing is not a criminal offence. It is an acceptable way of exposing wrongs in the workplace and Olayo’s wrongs are not an exception. If aggrieved, he should clear himself from the adverse allegations. This is not about a witch-hunt; it is about accountability!

It is time to act & the organization should be reorganized based on individual competencies and expertise instead of ethnicity and patronage. The NITA Board must revisit the terms of service for some of its Managers who have no idea of what they were employed for including one, Galm Guyo who runs the department like an upcoming Micro-Finance entity somewhere in Murang’a with decisions that can’t be rationalized legally or on any policy. There should be a radical surgery at the Management level to rid the Authority a baggage of incompetent Managers who are mere liabilities.

Significant segments of staff perceive Olayo as having lost his legitimacy as NITA’s HR and he must pay the ultimate price for acting vindictively against staff. The entirety of his reasoning, decisions and actions merits thorough re-examination in the interest of justice for his victims both current and past.  He has acted as if he has exclusive and unfettered responsibility for the exercise of some ‘imagined’ executive authority beyond the Director General or Chairman of the NITA Board.

 Nitastaff2019 {Courtesy of Whistleblowing Policy}