“Does tribalism and nepotism play a role in the job
recruitment processes?” That’s the question I asked my peers at a local barber
shop as we waited in line. I was perusing through a newspaper as is the norm
while waiting for my turn when I happened to bump onto an article about this.
“Well?” I asked again as I tried to sway their attention to this topic, “Of
course it does apply especially in government recruitment; everyone knows this
and that is the way it always will be.” I wanted to sharply object to his
casual way of responding to this question but was stopped by the faces of the
others who by then were listening to our discussion and were in total agreement
with the response. “How can you accept this injustice in such a laid-back
manner considering the high levels of unemployment that the country is facing?”
Is this the extent to which we’ve lost hope in our country? I thought to myself.
The article made reference to the saga at the Kenya pipeline
company where there were allegations that nepotism was at play in the way
appointments were made at one of Kenya’s biggest parastatals. According to the article, the Yatta MP Charles
Kilonzo has called on parliaments committee on equal opportunity to investigate
the matter. The MP even went ahead to
give a least of senior managers and their
relatives who might have benefited from these appointments. The documents the MP has brought
to the attention of the committee are damning to say the least. The documents
show plainly that some of the senior officials of KPC have brought on board not
only their brothers and sisters but also their children.
This was also witnessed by the NCIC report on ethnicity in the civil service that showcased how deeprooted the vice is in the Kenyan Government.
“This is a classic example of the situation in government
institutions in Kenya…” he replied as he pointed at the page with the article
about KPC. He then smiled and continued “Did you read the response that the
chairman gave relating to the appointments; he said that there may be
overrepresentation of some tribes in the company, just like in other government
institutions.”
His statement was met with 100% approval and it was my turn
to be shaved. Then I thought to myself, does this mean that the approach I’ve
been using all along has been flawed? Should I start searching for relatives in
‘big places’? Because maybe, just maybe that approach may actually work for me!
Written by,
Collins Handa
Accountant CPA (K)
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