Workers threaten strike over NSSF Sh5bn housing project

Central Organisation of Trade Unions (Cotu) boss Francis Atwoli at a past function. Several unions affiliated to have threatened to down their tools and also withdraw from contributing to the national insurer if the government does not intervene and stop the controversial Sh5.1 billion NSSF housing project. Photo/FILE 

By Sam Karanja

In Summary

• Several unions affiliated to the Central Organisation of Trade Unions (Cotu) have given the government a one-week ultimatum to also fire the chairman of the National Social Security Fund Board of Trustee Mr Adan Mohammed, failure to which they would call a nationwide strike.

Workers have threatened to down their tools and also withdraw from contributing to the national insurer if the government does not intervene and stop the controversial Sh5.1 billion NSSF housing project.

Several unions affiliated to the Central Organisation of Trade Unions (Cotu) have given the government a one-week ultimatum to also fire the chairman of the National Social Security Fund Board of Trustee Mr Adan Mohammed, failure to which they would call a nationwide strike.

While addressing a press conference at a Nairobi hotel, secretary-generals representing more than 10 unions asked President Uhuru Kenyatta to personally intervene in the matter and help save workers’ money.

The NSSF board has already been accused by Cotu secretary-general Francis Atwoli of irregularly approving the release of Sh5.053 billion belonging to workers for infrastructure development at Tassia II housing project in Nairobi’s Eastlands area.

He alleged the fund’s managers including the acting managing trustee Mr Richard Lang’at approved the billions without proper procedures and that he (Atwoli) was not consulted being the worker’s representative in the board.

On Tuesday, the unions’ leaders supported Mr Atwoli’s claims, accusing the government of properly failing to shed light on the alleged scandal.

While reading a statement on their behalf, the Kenya Electrical Trades and Allied Workers’ Union (Ketawu) boss Ernest Madome alleged it was evident that both Mr Mohammed and Mr Lang’at were working with some influential individuals to fleece workers.

“We demand that President Uhuru Kenyatta immediately and personally intervenes for the purpose of saving workers’ funds and proceed to send the NSSF Board of Trustees Chairman Adan Mohammed home as well as letting him be investigated,” said Mr Madome.

“Failure to hear from the government in the next one week, we as affiliates will petition as required by our Cotu constitution, the secretary-general Francis Atwoli to immediately convene a Cotu executive board meeting for all general secretaries of affiliates to take a decision on the matter including and not limited to calling a nationwide strike that will culminate in all our members withdrawing from NSSF,” he added.