- The person, whom we cannot name for legal reasons, is a former employee of the Ministry of ICT.
- Before he moved there, he was employed at the Ministry of Water as a supply chain management officer.
Image: FILE
The Ombudsman has asked the DCI and DPP to investigate and prosecute a former public service employee for influencing his way to state jobs without competitive process.
The Commission on Administrative Justice says it conducted investigations into the jobs held by an employee in the public service and found that the appointment, transfer and promotion letters were questionable, possibly forged.
The person, whom we cannot name for legal reasons, is a former employee of the Ministry of ICT. Before he moved there, he was employed at the Ministry of Water as a supply chain management officer. He was transferred in 2013 to ICT.
The employee wrote to the commission on February 15, 2022, complaining that he had been irregularly dismissed from the job and his files deleted in unclear circumstances that undermined his rights.
He alleged that upon transfer, his employment file was not released from the Ministry of Water and he was subsequently expunged from the government payroll without notice and his personal employment file went missing.
Documents from the Ombudsman’s investigation show he worked at the Ministry of ICT for about a year without receiving a salary after which he left to seek medical treatment.
He made several follow-ups with the Ministry of Water to be reinstated on the payroll but his efforts did not bear fruit.
But it now appears the employee might wish he just kept quiet and faded into the night, rather than write to the commission.
The Ombudsman's probe has unearthed dirt that could land him in a lengthy litigation and possible jail term.
The commission says its investigation shows his first employment in the public service was at the National Water Conservation and Pipeline Company as a clerical officer and subsequently as a procurement officer.
“His appointment was irregular as he did not undergo a competitive recruitment process. Further, the authenticity of his letter of offer and letter of appointment signed by one Tom Emonde are both in question,” the report says.
“The said employee was allegedly transferred from the Ministry of Water and Irrigation to the Ministry of ICT in October 2013. Upon the transfer, his personal file disappeared and he was deleted from the payroll. Both his introduction and deletion from the payroll were done at the then Ministry of Water and Irrigation.”
The commission says that the authenticity of employee's letter of transfer from the Ministry of Water to ICT signed by one CA Otunga is in question.
The employee worked at the Ministry of ICT between June 2014 and May 2015 as a procurement officer, despite not being in the payroll and his personal employment file having disappeared.
“The manner in which the said employee was appointed to the Ministry of Water, introduced into the payroll, transferred from the ministry, deleted from the payroll, and disappearance of his file, all point to the possible commission of a fraud,” the Ombudsman says.
The commission concludes that not only should the employee be investigated but also the officials who helped him find his way into the jobs without competitive recruitment process and without requisite papers should explain.