• Agitated nurses have come out to defend their own, saying he is more than qualified for the position.
• KUTRRH board chairperson Olive Mugenda has maintained that the appointment of Ahmed Dagane as CEO had been undertaken procedurally
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Nurses have told off a section of MPs alleging that the current CEO of Kenyatta University Teaching, Referral and Research Hospital (KUTRRH) is unqualified.
The Kenya National Union of Nurses (KNUN) on Thursday termed it unfortunate for MPs to say that the hospital was being led by an 'unqualified' person.
Agitated nurses who seem to have been rattled by the remarks have come out to defend their own, saying he is more than qualified for the position.
This comes barely a day after Members of the Public Investments Committee on Governance and Education led by Wamboka Wanami put KUTRRH board chairperson Olive Mugenda on the spot for allegedly allowing an 'unqualified' person to run the facility.
KNUN Deputy General Secretary Maurice Opetu hit back at the MPs for demeaning the nursing profession and by large the other health cadres in the country.
“Statements made by Wamboka Wanami insinuating that Dagane is not qualified to hold that position because he is a nurse were very unfortunate, demeaning and an insult to all the nurses of Kenya and beyond,” Opetu said.
The nurses' union said the appointment of Dagane was through a competitive process as per the advertisement made.
“We are aware as the nurses union that the plan to ouster Dagane has been hatched in Afya House by the doctors who think all the health administrative or management positions belong to them,” Opetu said.
“We categorically condemn this move and demand that it's immediately stopped. The people behind this discriminative move should leave Dagane alone to continue with his work,” he said.
According to the union, a Court ruling on Petition no.85 of 2018 found that part of the health Act purported to bar nurses from taking such positions to be discriminative, unconstitutional and therefore was null and void.
“The ruling therefore allows persons who are degree holders in any health related fields to be appointed and hold management positions,” Opetu said.
Mugenda has maintained that the appointment of Ahmed Dagane as CEO had been undertaken procedurally.
Speaking in Mombasa on Thursday, Mugenda dismissed the public notion that individuals with a Nursing background or health related degrees cannot run such an institution.
She said Dagane had landed the role due to his professional qualifications and experience.
Mugenda said KUTRRH is an equal opportunity employer and operates strictly within the confines of the Constitution and related legal provisions.
“Dagane is a qualified and experienced Clinical Professional with a background in Nursing and holds postgraduate Master in Business Administration Qualifications,” Mugenda said.
She said that several rulings had been rendered by various courts confirming that qualified candidates cannot be blocked from serving in such leadership positions based on subsidiary legal schedules.