Senators have re-invited the management of New Kenya Cooperative Creameries (KCC) over decades-long compensation disputes involving former employees.
The Senate Committee on Labour and Social Welfare resolved to re-invite the management after they failed to attend Thursday’s session.
The committee's vice chair, George Mbugua, said the re-invitation would come with strict requirements for the management to present an asset register, detailing the assets acquired from the former KCC, the current assets held by the new KCC, and the current status of those assets.
“Considering the timelines for concluding on petitions brought to the Senate, we need to be forward-thinking should we need to direct New KCC to sell off some assets to pay off the debts,” Mbugua said.
The Senate Standing Order 238(2) emphasises that any petition brought before a Standing Committee must have a report tabled in the Senate within 60 calendar days from the reading of the prayer.
The petition presented to the Senate on July 9, 2024, comes after years of wrangling over compensation for former KCC employees, who were dismissed in 1997 following the government's failure to settle payments with the creamery under the School Milk Programme.
Despite a series of court rulings, including a High Court judgment that held New KCC liable for compensation, a subsequent appeal in 2020 overturned the decision, leaving the matter unresolved.
On Thursday, the committee also resolved to re-invite the Solicitor General (Shadrack Mose) and the Cabinet Secretaries for the ministries of Cooperatives (Wycliffe Oparanya), Labour (Alfred Mutua), and the National Treasury (John Mbadi), who also failed to attend proceedings.
Failure by the four to attend Thursday’s session elicited criticism from senators.
Nominated senator Miraj Abdillah voiced her frustration at the non-attendance of the government officials, noting that the petitioners had made significant efforts to be present.
“The petitioners travelled from far and wide to attend this meeting, only to be met with the absence of those whom we seek answers. They should be surcharged to reimburse the petitioners who are searching for justice,” Miraj argued.
West Pokot senator Julius Murgor, the committee chair, called on Namada Simoni, who represented the petitioners, to provide a comprehensive list of the former KCC employees to clarify the number of beneficiaries involved in the case.
