Fresh dispute looms at Kenya Ports Authority over fake certificates

Kenya Ports Authority Managing Director Gichiri Ndua asked affected employees to respond to issues raised.

A fresh dispute has erupted at the Kenya Ports Authority (KPA) headquarters in Mombasa between the port management and the Dock Workers Union (DWU) after formation of a panel to determine the fate of 136 employees allegedly holding fake academic and professional certificates.

KPA announced formation of the six-person panel on Wednesday and DWU formed its own to challenge any adverse recommendation.

Meanwhile, The Standard on Saturday has established that none of the 136 employees has admitted liability in their response to letters written to them by KPA.

Instead, they have shifted blame to KPA accusing the port authorities of failing in their duties when hiring them many years ago.

Indeed, many of the affected workers are planning to sue KPA. DWU, which is opposed to their sacking is also blaming KPA’s management for the mess for not verifying the certificates when these people were employed.

“Why did KPA allow these people to serve for all these years. Why did they not verify these certificates before employing them? The normal procedure is that someone is supposed to be put on probation for six months on employment during which the employer is supposed to verify their documents,” said DWU Secretary General Simon Sang.

Mr Sang yesterday also disclosed that many of the targeted workers have guaranteed loans to fellow employees worth Sh64 million and announced that the union has formed a special committee to counter any punitive measures by KPA.

MAN IN GIRLS’ SCHOOL?

We also established that the formation of the KPA committee is the last formality before dismissal of the 136 workers.

Reports show KPA is keen to exhaust all internal mechanisms and verifications to seal loopholes that the soon to be dismissed workers might use to sue.

Surprisingly, the audit at KPA which began in 2012 unveiled a man with a Form  Four certificate showing that he actually studied in a girls’ secondary school.

It also unveiled employees using genuine certificates of relatives, friends or those stolen to gain employment.

One employee (name with held) has admitted to his lawyer that he was employed without an ‘O’ level certificate but went on to acquire a bachelor’s degree and is now pursuing a masters degree.

He began as a casual in the kitchen but has risen to a manager on the basis of his now disputed university certificates.

COMPLEX PROCESS

KPA, which has about 2,600 employees has been rocked by reports that 136 employees including some managers were employed or promoted on the basis of fake certificates but it has not been clear why the process of verifying these documents which began in 2012 has not come to a conclusion or ended in criminal prosecution.

Mombasa police claim they cannot intervene in the matter until KPA officially invites them.

On Wednesday evening, a statement released by KPA’s Public Relations manager Bernard Osero did not answer many pending questions.

According to Mr Osero, verification of certificates is a complex process that may take a long time and that the affected employees will be subjected to KPA’s internal regulations before a decision is made on whether to suspend them or report the matter to police.

Osero admitted that the verification of certificates included inquiries from the Kenya National Examination Council  and colleges these people purported to have attended before coming up with the list.

But it was not clear why the process appears not to be moving.

“Individual officers whose certificates’ authenticity was found questionable were addressed in writing and asked to give their account,” says the statement which also alleges that a “committee is in place to review the responses and outcomes and make appropriate recommendations.”

On Wednesday, The Standard published a story to the effect that KPA Managing Director Gichiri Ndua had asked the employees to respond and accused some of them of threatening their seniors after receiving letters questioning their documents.