Shocking reports emerging from within the Kenya Marine and Fisheries Research Institute (KMFRI) have exposed what sources describe as a deeply compromised recruitment process, in which last advertised vacancies in 2025 appear to have served largely as a procedural façade while positions were quietly reserved for relatives of senior managers and board members.
Information provided by sources with direct knowledge of the internal systems suggests that shortlisting for interviews conducted on January 26, 27 and 28, 2026, was predetermined, with a large share of those selected already entered into the institution’s payroll as casual workers under circumstances said to have bypassed formal application and competitive interviews, many of whom were reportedly in place before the public recruitment drive.
Insiders who spoke to nyakundireport.com on condition of anonymity have revealed that the November advertisement of positions was a calculated move to sanitize earlier backdoor entries, effectively legitimizing pre-selected candidates while quietly expanding the intake far beyond the publicly declared vacancies, resulting in a recruitment outcome that sources describe as grossly disproportionate to the number of posts officially advertised.
It is further claimed that after internal dissatisfaction emerged among staff who felt excluded from the initial intake, a fresh round of interviews was convened for about 20 more candidates who had not appeared in the original shortlist, with all reportedly receiving appointment letters within a short span, a sequence that has prompted questions over the consistency and integrity of the selection criteria.
Sources state that the shortlisting committee populated interview lists with close relatives of senior officials, turning what should have been a competitive exercise into an internal family arrangement where external applicants merely filled space without any realistic chance of success.
They further indicate that several of those later confirmed into permanent roles had initially been inserted into the payroll as casual workers without open applications or interviews, after which documentation and timelines were adjusted to align the paper trail with the advertised process, creating the appearance of procedural compliance where none existed.
Whistleblowers are now calling for immediate intervention by the Ethics and Anti-Corruption Commission (EACC), the Public Service Commission (PSC), the Office of the Auditor-General and the Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI), urging a comprehensive probe into the recruitment exercise and the conduct of both management and the board.
They argue that, the actions described would run contrary to the principles set out under Article 10 of the Constitution on transparency and accountability, Article 232 on fair competition and merit as the basis of appointments in public service, as well as the leadership and integrity standards under Chapter Six, all of which bind state corporations such as KMFRI.
The whistleblowers maintain that public institutions funded by taxpayers are obligated under the Public Service (Values and Principles) Act and the State Corporations Act to uphold merit-based recruitment and equal opportunity, and they are urging oversight bodies to examine payroll records, interview minutes, shortlisting criteria, board approvals and internal correspondence to establish how the final intake diverged from the advertised positions.
They further contend that failure to act would entrench a culture in which public vacancies are treated as private entitlements, locking out qualified Kenyans and eroding trust in state institutions that are meant to operate in the public interest.
”Hello Cyprian. Kuna hii parastatal inajiita Kenya Marine and Fisheries Research Institute (KMFRI). Help me expose it until ijulikane. Inaoperate kama a family. The whole management ni scam kuanzia kwa BOARD. Kuna zile advertisement walifanya last year hapo November. You know what they did, bro I was there kwa system na vitu niliona ni maajabu sana. Imagine shortlisting ilifanywa yaani ilikuwa tu for formalities. Like shortlisting committee iliweka tu familia zao (sons, daughters, sisters, brothers, wife and husband) na kama ulijipata hapo basi wewe ndio ulikuwa unatumika kujaza watu in which hungepita interview. Nilikuwa nawaona nawahurumia tu juu ni fare na time yao walikuwa wameharibu. Hiyo interview was scheduled on 26, 27 na 28th January mind you tena most of the people shortlisted ni watu walikuwa wamewekwa kwa system before in the name ya casual. Walikuwa 71 which most of them waliingia na backdoor. No interview, No application. Mtu anacheza tu na director anamwambia mtoto wake ameshinda amekaa tu home then anaingiza kwa system analipwa na tax yetu. Sasa kuweka hiyo interview director alijua wasee mob wamewekwa na backdoor inaweza mletea noma akaamua kuwasimamisha ndio maana aliadvertise ndio sasa awarudishe officially na watoto wa staff wengine ambao walikuwa wameanza kulalamika. Guess what wote 71 walirudishwa system plus sasa wengine more than 20. Imagine waliadvertise 20 positions but waliend up kuemploy more than 100. Unaona hiyo red flag. Sasa funny thing ni staff wengine kurealize vitu huyu jamaa anafanya na some members wa hiyo board noma ingine ikatokea, kiliumana juu staff wengine pia walirealize watoto wao hawakuchukuliwa wakataka advantage. Na juu huyo director ni muoga hapendi shida hee huskii interview nyingine ikawekwa tena mind you hawa ni watu sasa hawakuwa shortlisted kwa ile main shortlisting. Sasa hapa tena ikawa unaletwa na nani? Mambo za familia tena ama ucheze na doo. Sasa tena 20 people wakaitwa interview. Hapa wote walipita wakatumiwa barua chap chap before Sat. Red flag ingine hakuna mwenye alifail kwa hii squad. Sasa umeona penye formalities zinatokea. Na kila kitu wakabackdate i-fit plan yao. Hee Kenya iko corrupt msee. Ile institute kila mtu ameweka mtoto wake ama bibi yake kwanza kwa top management. Yaani ukienda ni familia tu. Kuna list nitakutumia wenye najua personally mind wenye wameweka watoto wao tuwaexpose. Then pia mtu anaweza dhani hii story ni scam kuna hiyo list ya hao watu wakienda interview yenye tulikuwa tunatumia kuwaingiza interview room. Iko hapo hadi ya the special group wa 10th pia. Wacha Wakenya wajue bila connection parastatal hutoboi ni scam wasikue wanasumbukana kuapply hizi huwa tu for formalities. Huko lazima uwe na baba, mama ama relative.”
