- 133 recruits were turned away after failing HIV, pregnancy tests.
- The Court has already nullified the hiring.
Image: FILE
MPs are now demanding for the formation of Commission of Inquiry to probe the alleged skewed hiring of KRA revenue assistant officers.
This is after it emerged that 133 applicants were allegedly dropped after being subjected to a mandatory HIV and pregnancy tests against the law.
The call by members of the National Cohesion and Equal Opportunity committee of the National Assembly comes weeks after High Court nullified the hiring on account that only two tribes were considered.
In committee sitting yesterday, the Cohesion team cited Kenya Revenue Authority management of serious violation of the law in subjecting the applicants to a mandatory testing.
The committee chaired by Mandera West MP Yussuf Haji recommended an in-depth investigations into the matter.
“There is no doubt that gross violation of the constitution was conducted by KRA during the recruitment of the revenue service assistants,” Haji said.
KRA Commissioner general Humphrey Wattanga was appearing before the committee to respond to issues around the hiring.
The meeting was also deliberating on employment diversity of the recruited service assistants.
Wattanga was put to task over the reports of mandatory testing and the discrimination that comes with those who were dropped after failing the two tests.
Kasipul MP Ong’ondo Were demanded that the KRA boss takes responsibility for breaching the law.
According to the second-term lawmaker, the 133 applicants were kicked out after they were either found to pregnant or HIV positive.
“I think you should be surcharged for this. Didn’t your legal department advise you before hiring? How did you subject them to pregnancy and HIV tests?” posed Were.
“We need an inquiry on this.”
“Those who conducted the interview should make a statement. We should also call the 133 subjected to those HIV and pregnancy tests… This matter needs time, but before that, KRA should explain why we should not force them to hire the 133 with immediate effect.”
In defence, KRA Commissioner Risper Simuyu said the tests were necessary as the recruits were undergoing paramilitary training to prepare them for the enforcement work.
The recruits were to undergo a two-month training in partnership with the Kenya Defence Forces.
The training was conducted at Recruits Training College in Eldoret and the graduands were to help the taxman in its plan to boost tax collection.
“I could be wrong, but I’m told the military always does this (subjecting people to HIV and pregnancy tests) during recruitments,” Simuyu told the committee.
Nyeri Town MP Duncan Mathenge however protested Simiyu’s narrative maintaining that not all paramilitary trainings require HIV tests.
“We have young men and women who recently graduated having gone through NYS. Why weren’t they subjected to the tests?” Mathenge asked.
The Nyeri Town lawmaker added that there exists a several government institutions with enforcement officers and which do not compel would-be-staff to mandatory HIV testing.
“We should conduct a full inquiry on this organisation. The inquiry will help us cite KRA on violations against the constitution. It is apparent from this debacle that we have rights, but as long as such organisations exist,then people cannot enjoy them,” Mathenge said.
“There is a need for an in depth probe into the operations of KRA so that our resolutions and proposals will serve as an example to other organisations,” Teso North MP Oku Kaunya added.