Thursday, May 18, 2023 –Over 200 employees at Kenya Medical Research Institute KEMSA receive salaries despite staying at home.
Health Cabinet Secretary Susan Nakhumicha, on Thursday, May 18, while reading a riot act to KEMSA staff, wondered why some staff members were still at home since Covid-19 pandemic and still on a government payroll.
She directed that anyone who was still working from home should be in the office tomorrow Friday May 19.
Speaking during a press briefing at the KEMSA headquarters on Thursday, the health CS also issued a stern warning to corrupt individuals at the drugs body saying she will take full charge at the institution so that sanity could be restored.
“We have individuals who taint the image of this institution, I will not stop at anything, even if it means sending home a whole department am ready to deal with it,” she confirmed.
She called on the acting KEMSA CEO Dr Andrew Mulwa to recall employees working from home to report to work as soon as possible.
“I hereby direct the CEO effective tomorrow morning, over 200 KEMSA workers working from home to report to work by 8.00 am,” the CS stated.
At the same time, Nakhumicha directed the board chairperson Irungu Nyakera to clearly communicate to the workers of what is expected of them and guide them through.
“It is irresponsible to have paid over 200 workers for two years when they were sitting at home, in the name of the pandemic, yet we work from offices nowadays,” she added.
The CS urged the human resource HR department to exercise its duties diligently in monitoring employees performance in ensuring service delivery.
According to the CS, KEMSA had confronted so many challenges and the major one was mismanagement of its staff.
She was taking this action just days after President William Ruto had made changes at the board level.
The head of State appointed Irungu Nyakera as chairperson of the board and reconstituted the entire board with four new appointees namely FCPA Hezbon Oyieko Omollo, Bernard Kipkirui Bett, Dr. Jane Masiga and Jane Nyagaturi Mbatia.
