National Industrial Training Authority Saga- Julius Olayo Unmasked (Part 2)

The Director General 02/01/2018 National Industrial Training Authority RE: THE TRUTH BE TOLD – JULIUS OLAYO’S LIES AND CHEATS TO THE MANAGEMENT AND THE BOARD OF DIRECTORS- NITA BOARD The HR function of NITA is creating a lot of concern to employees on account of its management of employee issues, nepotism and misrepresentation of facts to both the Management and the Board. NITA’s HR policy which offers policies and guidelines governing the day to day management of staff even as read alongside Public Service Commission HR Policy Manual of 2016 and related statutes including the Employment Act 2016 provide for fair administration of justice. Julius Olayo’s engagement with the Authorities of NITA on employee matters is insincere, deceitful, discriminatory, partisan and in furtherance of personal interests. Julius through his actions, has failed to demonstrate how to maintain integrity and uphold the integrity of the office which he occupies as per the statutory provisions of the various instruments anchored in our Constitution 2010. On recruitments and promotions, both Julius Olayo and Erick Owino his relative, are known to have improperly solicited for promotions that placed them in their current positions. The NITA Policy forbids lobbying for promotions. We deem them unworthy of these positions. Both promotions lacked transparency, fairness, discriminatory and an outright contravention both of the NITA HR policy guidelines and National Values and Principles of Governance. As the head of HR unit of NITA, Julius Olayo has failed to adhere to moral and ethical requirements in the consideration that NITA as a public entity, is an equal opportunity employer and is bound to hire individuals based on their qualification and ability. If the latest trend of recruitments is anything to go by, then the principles of merit, equity, and fairness have been thrown to the litter bin. The appalling rate involving hiring of relatives/members of a certain ethnic group in NITA is a demonstration of nepotism – Be it at NITA Headquarters or the centres, Persons related to Mr Julius Olayo or Eric Owino by blood or marriage have gained employment. Both have secretly assisted several of their relatives gain employment in this organization and posted across many sections of NITA. The larger employee fraternity have come to realize the existence of ‘cells’ in NITA spying for both Mr Olayo and his protégé Erick Owino. Staff cutting across all levels of management are no longer at ease with this developing story. There is an increased level of suspicion among employees because of favouritism and conflict of interest. Julius Olayo and Erick are practicing undue favouritism to their relations and close relatives at the expense of the Authority. Alfred Ochieng Jamal who perpetrated the loss of NITA’s Ksh 12M through fraud is a mjomba of Mr Olayo and a brother to a Brian formally a casual whose terms of service were converted most recently to Permanent and discreetly retained in NITA Kisumu as the Centre’s Accountant notwithstanding his level of expertise to the disadvantage of long serving casual/temporary employees. HRA department is full of individuals rumoured to be known relatives of Mr Olayo and Erick Owino. Similarly, Erick Owino has secured employment for his two brothers in this organization. Evans Odhiambo was hidden away in Mombasa while the second one recruited most recently was posted to payroll. Thirdly, when Levy sales representatives were recruited, this same Erick Owino secured a chance for a woman ‘relative’. Due to the demanding nature of Levy in terms of targets, Mr Olayo and Erick Owino tactically conspired to move this lady from Levy to Planning department. This was calculated as a soft landing as no other sales representative has benefited with this kind of arrangement. Where does anti-nepotism part ways with the HR policy guidelines of this organization? Corporate Communications, Supply Chain, Security, Finance, Planning, Levy, NITA Kisumu, NITA Athi River and NITA Mombasa are departments with known relatives. The existence of reporting relationships within NITA’s HR structure is proof enough of how nepotism has entrenched itself. The risk of a potential conflict outweighs the benefits of employing relatives. As a result of these illegalities and irregularities, employees have been disadvantaged. With many ‘spies’, we accuse Julius Olayo and Erick Owino of using their management positions to propagate acts of coercion, intimidation and discrimination of employees while dispensing favours to a particular group of employees who are their relatives/tribesmen and women. Human Resource department is a no go zone for employees. It’s about persons related to Julius and Erick – including their two mistresses recruited most deployment has occasioned the displacement of other employees from HR to other department in the calculation of these two people- they chose at will who to work with. Why is the current reporting relationship in HR is about relatives? We wish draw your attention of our observations on decisions, deliberations and actions on employees and not all employees. Julius Olayo does not treat all employees equally with consideration and respect. He is also known to act through Erick Owino who is under his supervision which is in contravention of The Public Officers Ethics Act 2003. As indicated in our opening statement, there is a general feeling among employees that while discharging his HR duties, Julius is dishonest, insincere, discriminatory and misleading on the account of what he presents to the Authorities of NITA regarding employees. Here is a sample a few areas of concern that we feel high levels of discrimination laced with nepotism have taken root: - Interview results on new recruitments for are highly doctored to suit certain preferred persons or relatives while the renewal of contracts has been used as the fertile ground for employing relatives, friends and mistresses given the reporting structure of HR being composed of relatives. ALL HR task- assignments outside NITA Headquarters is a preserve of Eric Owino and Julius Olayo – Other employees in the department are denied the opportunity through side-lining, intimidation and discrimination and suppression. The reporting lines in the department is that of relatives under Olayo’s strict control and grip. Promotions are solicited as the case of Julius Olayo and Erick Owino Transfers, re-designations, redeployments are effected in total violation of NITA’s HR Policy and related statutes of the constitution. Olayo and Eric use these as avenues to silence employees they deem enemies. Some disciplinary proceedings presented to the NITA Authorities are highly selective, discriminative and partisan with inaccurate information against employees. In addition, Julius Olayo and Eric Owino have used this opportunity to settle personal scores. Julius Olayo and Erick Owino are among the highest recipients of imprest/cash advances in this Authority and there are occasions in which they do not attend to the official functions neither do they return the imprest/cash advances. Instead, they are known to submit fictitious documentation as proof of expenditure. We feel that it is the sole responsibility of Head of HR to ensure that Disciplinary Principles and Procedures of the Authority are dispensed in all manner humanely possible. However, in subjecting employees to disciplinary processes, Mr Julius Olayo has failed to demonstrate to the Authorities of NITA that the following principles are adopted in determining punishment: - The gravity of the offence The effect of the offence on the administration of justice An employee’s past disciplinary record An employee’s general service record This concern is voiced on the premise of disciplinary processes meted on employees without diligence in the way they are conducted. Similarly, disciplinary processes in this organization takes years in contravention of the statutory requirement that disciplinary cases should be dealt with expeditiously, efficiently, lawfully and in a procedurally fair manner. The intimidating and discriminatory nature of Julius Olayo and the big man syndrome of Eric Owino in his perceived proximity to Julius Olayo is enough proof of our accusations and concerns – relatives working for a public organization in same department of reporting lines. Having voiced our concerns, we call upon your good office to institute a raft of measures to remedy the current situation as sought hereunder: - Kindly investigate our concerns on nepotism on recruitment that falls largely on the culpability of Mr Julius Olayo. Redeploy Eric Owino from his current position in HR – it will remedy the complain of reporting structure involving relatives and patronage. Re-deploy all employees from Julius Olayo’s ethnic community recruited in the FY 2017 and posted to HR. Their recruitment and deployment to HR has occasioned the re-deployment of employees from other ethnic tribes from HR. Nepotism has taken root in this department to the core! We seek to see your actions on the findings the of illegal promotions gained by Eric Owino and Julius Owino made known to employees. Of specific interest is how Eric Owino earned a promotion in less than a year of his service in this Authority. It was not right, unmerited and a serious governance issue. As employees, our eyes and ears are wide open on matters reflective on fair administration of justice based on fair competition and merit. The circumstances under which he was promoted should be known to employees and more specifically on account of transparency and accountability. Of all the Authority’s employees recruited into Level 9 in early 2015, its only Eric Owino and Ruth Dero of Corporate communications who have benefitted from promotions in less than three years of their service in this organization – both are members Mr Olayo’s ethnic community –They are Luos! Prevail on Mr Julius Olayo to respect the rule of law while interacting with employees and to stop acting through other employees. The declaration of certain vacancies in this organization in the advice of Mr Julius Olayo is suspect in the eyes of employees. In our understanding, Mr Julius Olayo is a misguide to the Authorities. When Eric Owino missed out on the position of a Senior HRO, Julius Olayo opted for a boardroom approach and Eric was rewarded a promotion. The most recent vacancy declaration of a Chief HRO is a deceit both to employees and the Authorities. It’s about Erick Owino – 100%!!! These are liars. We seek your intervention in the selective manner in which disciplinary procedures are applied on employees. The actual statement of facts as presented to the Authorities in best of our understanding are insincere, in bad faith and calculated as a means to settle scores. Disciplinary procedures as provided for in the NITA HR policy manual and The Employment Act are the guiding principles on employee matters. The following is a list of persons known to be in direct relation with Julius Olayo on family and ethnic grounds: - Eric Owino – Senior HR Officer – HR Department Beatrice Omala – Supply Chain Officer- Supply Chain Department Dan Jerenga – Administrative Officer – HR Department Bernard Ombete – (Julius Olayo’s Personal Driver) – HR Department Caroline Ngesa – HR Officer – HR Department Brian Odhiambo – Accountant – NITA Kisumu Even Odhiambo – Levy Inspector – Mombasa Juliana Ouma – HR Officer – HR Department Peter Otieno – HR Officer/Payroll - HR Department Collins Odhiambo – Security Officer – HR Department Beatrice Apiyo – Supply Chain Officer – Supply Chain Department From The Bleeding Hearts of Employees NATIONAL INDUSTRIAL TRAINING AUTHORITY