State firm suspends two managers over misconduct

COAST DEVELOPMENT AUTHORITY (CDA)-STRIKE; Workers of the Coast Development Authority (CDA) waving their placards outside the main gate of the CDA Headquarters offices in Mombasa County on Wednesday, 20th January,2016. PHOTO BY MAARUFU MOHAMED/STANDARD

A State corporation has suspended two chief managers pending investigations after workers claimed they were involved in gross misconduct.

The move comes three days after the Coast Development Authority (CDA) Managing Director James Kahindi Mandi was sacked.

CDA is the latest parastatal in Coast to fall into turmoil after the Kenya Ports Authority (KPA) and the Kenya Ferry Services (KFS).

KPA has been in crisis for about a month over claims of corruption and revenue losses at the Mombasa port. Senior managers were ordered to leave last week.

Last month, the MD of Kenya Ferry Services was sacked following months of chaos at the Likoni ferry channel.

An ad hoc committee of the CDA board has been set up to investigate issues raised against Chief Finance Manager Mary Salama and head of Human Resources Services Florence Chome.

On Friday, the CDA board sacked Mr Mandi who was at loggerheads with 200 permanent staff members. He was replaced with Josephine Rondo, the chief manager in charge of planning, research and technical services in an acting capacity.

And following the board action, workers said yesterday they may end their three-week go-slow next week.

The board chaired by former Matuga MP Suleiman Kamolleh took the decision to send the two managers packing after a day-long meeting on Monday.

Confirming the decision yesterday, Mr Kamolleh said they would be investigating 'all round' issues particularly touching on alleged indiscipline by the chief officers following complaints by staff.

"The board has sent home the two officers to pave way for investigations after workers complained of their involvement in cases of misconduct. We will investigate all round issues and they will resume their positions only when they are cleared of wrongdoing. They have not yet been implicated in financial mismanagement," Kamolleh said.

The letters sending home the two managers were signed by Ms Rondo and do not specify how long the officers would stay away although Kamolleh indicated investigations would take three months.

He also said the board would soon recruit a substantive managing director, adding that Rondo was eligible to seek the position.

CDA workers have been on a go-slow for the last 21 days calling for a clean-up of the management and prompt payment of their salaries and allowances.

Shop steward Fatuma Daba said staff were happy with the outcome of the board meeting and would convene a meeting to call off the go-slow.