Child Welfare Society CEO Under Fire Over Delayed Salaries

Over 100 Employees of Child Welfare Society of Kenya (CWSC) have moved to court seeking removal of their Chief Executive Officer (CEO) from office.

The aggrieved workers, while addressing court reporters outside Milimani Law Courts said they have not received their salaries for the past three years.

In a petition they have filed at the high Court in Nairobi, they want their CEO Irene Mureithi removed from office for failing to pay them their salaries and failure to disburse the funds to needy children.

The workers through Operation Linda Ugatuzi President Prof. Fredrick Ogolla say that their organization receives 1.8 Billion from the government each financial year and funds are not put into proper use as intended.

Prof Ogolla also pointed out that the CEO being a sole signatory to the bank account, has opened a parallel account known as contactor account where the organization’s funds are channeled to.

He also stated that to have the matter investigated by the DCI and EACC has borne no fruit.
It is now the court that can address the matter.

“It is incumbent upon the president to script the organization that the government inherited from the previous regime.”Prof said.

In a petition filed at the high court of Kenya through lawyer Bernard Odero, Ogolla says that it is illegal, fraudulent and against the public interest for the Child Welfare Society of Kenya (CWSK), a private entity totally outside the control of the state, to be allocated colossal sums of public funds office of the controller of budget and National Treasury and Economic Planning without being held accountable for the same.

Linda Ugatuzi also wants an immediate audit to be conducted on CWSK BY THE Auditor General to establish the amount irregularly allocated and payable back to the state and the extent of liability of the Trustees for loss occasioned to the public.

The Civil Society is seeking a declaration that CWSK being a State Corporation is not eligible to receive public funding or other state resources in performance of its functions without the appropriate legal framework on how such public funds are to be utilized.

“We are seeking a court declaration that the use and continued funding of CWSK using public funds and resources are illegal, unconstitutional, and null and void.

The group wants all public funds unlawfully allocated to the society since the promulgation of the new constitution.
They also want land that have been acquired through public funds illegally and being appropriated to the society be reverted back to the government as public land or assets.
The said land is in Nairobi, Kisumu, Lodwar, Kiambu, and Mavoko among other Municipalities within the country.

The group contends that that application is not heard on priority basis and orders granted more public funds will continue to get lost, misappropriated and unaccounted for through the guise of that children society.