NSSF boss defends Sh5bn housing plan

PHOTO | FILE Central Organisation of Trade Union secretary General Francis Atwoli. The NSSF board has defended itself against accusations that it irregularly allocated Sh5 billion for a city estate housing project.  NATION MEDIA GROUP

In Summary

• Five members approved project, says Lang’at
• In a document dated January 8 and signed by acting Managing Trustee Richard Lang’at, the board said due process was followed in approving the cash, with five of the six members approving the amount.

By SAMUEL KARANJA
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The NSSF board has defended itself against accusations that it irregularly allocated Sh5 billion for a city estate housing project.

In a document dated January 8 and signed by acting Managing Trustee Richard Lang’at, the board said due process was followed in approving the cash, with five of the six members approving the amount.

The board also said the amount was Sh4,629,168,275.70 and not Sh5.053 billion as alleged by Mr Francis Atwoli.

Cotu secretary general Francis Atwoli, who is a board member representing workers, has termed the approval as the “scandal of the year”, demanding that Tassia II settlement scheme infrastructure development be halted until further consultations are done.

Cotu affiliates have backed Mr Atwoli, demanding that the board chairman Adan Mohamed be sacked or else they would call a nationwide strike and stop contributing to the national insurer.

But Wednesday, Mr Lang’at revealed that among all the board members, it was only Mr Atwoli who neither approved nor objected to the recommendations.

“A Board of Trustees approval was sought through circulation and five out of six current members approved the revised cost estimate of Sh5.053 billion inclusive of consultants cost…the sixth board member, Mr Francis Atwoli neither approved it nor did he object,” he explained

.

The approval excluded Sh1.2 billion meant for civil works to the estimated 5,500 individual plots, he added.

Those who approved the project included Mr Lang’at, Mr Mohamed, Mr Ali Noor Ismail, Mr Mutua Kilaka and Ms Jackline Mugo
.


Ms Mugo has, however, distanced herself from the deal.

At a past press conference, the Cotu boss said no such amount could be approved by a “mere circulation”, saying it could only be done through a board meeting. He also claimed he was in London when the email was circulated.