COTU demands Probe on Hazina, Tassia II projects

NAIROBI, KENYA: Central Organization of Trade Union (COTU) now wants the Ethics and Anti-corruption Commission (EACC) to probe the expansion works of Hazina Towers that has been allegedly inflated from Sh3.2 billion to Sh7.2 billion.

The umbrella trade union body said that the National Social Security Fund (NSSF) board of trustees was not involved in recommending any additional monies on the project.

COTU Secretary General Francis Atwoli said that there was no evaluation work done on the Hazina Towers projects to arrive at the figures that are now more than double the allocated amount.

"These are the concerns that Kenyan workers have and it is only prudent that the EACC strives to establish the perpetrators. All this happens when there is a board constituted to oversee how workers money is being spent," said Atwoli in a statement.

Atwoli challenged the anti-graft commission to uncover fraudulent individuals culpable of irregularities which has led to the loss of billions of funds of workers.

"They should tell us those responsible for the approval through e-mail circulation of the Sh5.053 billion Tassia II Infrastructure Development project and whose payments were made hurriedly on the same day of the alleged e-mail approval with the view of prosecuting them," said Atwoli.

He further asked for the Cabinet to be questioned on how it came to approve the NSSF's joint venture projects through Private Public Partnership for the Mavoko Municipality and Nairobi's Kenyatta Avenue property development costed at Sh 130 billion.

"This was evidently against the advice of the Public Procurement Oversight Authority (PPOA). More so, the controversial decision by NSSF to execute the process through restricted tenders was unlawful," he said.

Probe into the two projects are ongoing before the parliament watchdog Public Investment Committee (PIC).

Recently, the EACC had resubmitted a further investigative report to the Director of Public Prosecution (DPP) that recommended for the suspended Labour Cabinet Secretary to be charged with abuse of office over the irregular appointments of NSSF Board members.

COTU's objection to the appointments is what led to Atwoli being ousted out of the board for allegedly not attending the required number of board meetings.