The National Industrial Training Authority (NITA) is embroiled in leadership wrangles with now various leaders now fighting over who to occupy the Director General position.
In what could derail President William Ruto economic blue print affordable housing since the agency is supposed to validate
the skills of casual labourers who will render their services in the project a vicious supremacy battle has emerged with various officers who have the blessing of board chair Dr Kamau Gachigi now fighting the current director General Stephen Ogengo.
So vicious is the supremacy battle that those fighting for the DG position have been using blackmail to fight the current DG.
Sources who spoke on anonymity said President William Ruto should intervene as soon as possible saying that the agency is slowly turning to a village where Gikuyu community take charge.
Issues of ethnic inclinations in the appointments that were made at the institution where no regional balance was met.
“We have seen anonymous letters targeting a particular ethnic group.DIT Jane Kamau should be called out for making life of some staff hell in the name of ethnic alignment and loyalty”, said our source.
According to details in our possession, Gachigi has been pushing for Director of Corporate Services Gerald Kirimi to be appointed as the Director General of the authority.
Surprisingly, Kirimi served at KICC where he was dismissed for engaging in corruption.
“Gachigi is using all means to fight Ogengo. He is fronting Kirimi to take over. The saddest thing is that these people are all corrupt any time the DG raises questions and they fight him through blackmail. We are even worried how affordable housing will be successful if selfish people have already started fighting from within”, a source who requested for anonymity revealed.
Also on the spot the current acting director of legal affairs Caroline Musango.
According to our investigations Musango was placed in the current position because she has sexual relationship with the current chair Mr Gachigi.
“We know this very clearly that Musango is a girlfriend to the current chair. She is untouchable. Her and Kirimi are being positioned to take over the DG job. They are the people fighting Ogengo,” revealed our source.
Questions have also emerged why Gachigi was in a hurry to have the legal affairs office occupied with office of the internal audit left vacant.
Sources who spoke to this publication said Kirimi because of his closest relationship with the chair has even been threatening temporary staff, Human resource department, Finance office and even the corporate communications office.
Sadly, Kirimi is also on the spot for intimidating, Carol Kagongo an officer who died over the weekend if she refused to work with him.
Other questions that have been raised why officers like Njiru Peter Njue have been receiving preferential treatment.
Details in our possession reveal that Njue is a beneficiary of promotion without interview from NITA 7 to NITA 10 and recently was even promoted to a manager.
“Njue is among people who were involved in the preparation of biased HR instruments in the name of representing industrial department yet they went to take care of their personal interests.
Njue has also been adversely mentioned in the recent EACC dealings.
There has also concerns why the Trade test department is being victimised.
“Njue has a myriad of EACC cases yet he enjoys management status while his colleagues at Trade test department are languishing in transfers left right and centre. Is it because Njue is a confidant of the current chair”, posed our source.
The junior officers are now appealing to head of public service Felix koskei to intervene and save the institution from the tribalist chairman.
Also on the radar is Mr Patrick Gitonga and Irene Muraguri who our investigation reveals were big players of Homecare fraud.
NITA is a State corporation that conducts industrial training by assessing and collecting industrial training levies and fees and developing industrial training curricula among other functions.