Nairobi
By Collins Matubwi
Kenya National Union of Nurses (Knun) has suspended its Secretary General Seth Panyako over abuse of office and high highhandedness.
In a presser that was jointly read by Knun officials namely, Benson Biwot from Elgeyo Marakwet, Amon Ng’etich from Nandi County and Lempike Mutunga Kioko among others they said that Mr. Panyako was a disgrace to the unity of nurses.
If Panyako is not fighting his branch officials, he is fighting his National Executive Council colleagues, if he is not fighting the government or its leaders; he is fighting a branch official, an employee or any officer of any other trade union or strategic partner,” the statement reads.
They said Panyako has been mentioned in so many cases as an overly combative, arrogant, and whose disrespect to others does not allow him to listen to anybody as well as sacking of his colleagues and the union employees unprocedurally.
“If Panyako is not fighting his branch officials, he is fighting his National Executive Council colleagues, if he is not fighting the government or its leaders; he is fighting a branch official, an employee or any officer of any other trade union or strategic partner,” the statement reads.
The statement further reads : “ Even after being accused for persistent and repeated constitutional abuse and shoddy administrative deals some touching on his close family members, Panyako still has the audacity to attack fight and plot the removal of colleagues from office to cover his bad manners and weaknesses,”
They also accused him of trying to change the union constitution in order to convert himself into a life General Secretary and at one point; he attempted to remove the position of the Chairman, from the structure of the union but stopped by the Registrar of Trade Unions after outcry from members.
“Selling the union vehicle using his wife without proper consultation with nurses who may have also opted to buy the vehicle as well as paying his wife and an underage child Sh105, 000 per month through the payroll of the employees,” the presser reads in part.
The members also claimed that he tried to solicit for more than Sh16million from Deputy President William Ruto purportedly to convene a non-existing meeting but his efforts were thwarted before receiving the said money.
“Selling the union vehicle using his wife without proper consultation with nurses who may have also opted to buy the vehicle as well as paying his wife and an underage child Sh105, 000 per month through the payroll of the employees,” the presser reads in part.
It further reads: “We the nurses of this country do hereby denounce the recent purported changes he illegally made in his NEC leadership in a questionable meeting in Nakuru on June 19, at the height of tCovid-19 pandemic and plead with the Registrar of Trade Unions to reject them in totality,”
The Nakuru meeting was attended by Joseph Ngwasi.Fredrick Oigo.Seth Panyako. Maurice Opetu, Ann Githiong’oPurity Matu.Charles Alisoreng Stephen Rutere.Henry Adolwa and John Gacharia.
The Nakuru meeting was attended by Joseph Ngwasi.Fredrick Oigo.Seth Panyako. Maurice Opetu, Ann Githiong’oPurity Matu.Charles Alisoreng Stephen Rutere.Henry Adolwa and John Gacharia.
The statement also reads in part “We regrettably wish to warn Panyako to stop hiding his leadership failures by attacking the government officers, his colleagues, employees and all but instead retrace his steps and quickly look for something better to do but not in KNUN as he has long outlived his relevance in KNUN-We quickly give a free advice to him to look for a military job not Union leadership job,”.
They also cautioned NEC members who normally ignores their complaints by sanitizing the mismanagement in the union that days were numbered. “We hasten to inform the two level of government, and other partners that Panyako must now be treated as an outcast in the nursing fraternity,”
Efforts to get Panyako were response were fruitless after he refused to respond to our calls.
Ends
