The National Assembly Committee on Cohesion and Equal Opportunities has threatened to impose sanctions on Tanathi Water Works Development Agency Chief Executive Officer, Francis Siva, for allegedly violating laws on ethnic balance and inclusion of special interest groups in employment and tender allocation.
The Committee, chaired by Mandera West MP, Adan Yussuf Haji, accused the CEO of presiding over a public institution that blatantly ignored constitutional requirements on equity, diversity, and representation.
According to a report by the Auditor-General, 67 per cent of Tanathi Water Works’ workforce comes from one ethnic community, while the agency has no employee living with a disability, contrary to constitutional and statutory provisions on inclusivity.
“The Agency has failed to comply with the law on ethnic balance, youth absorption, gender parity, and the allocation of tenders to special interest groups,” said Haji.
“This is one of the worst cases of non-compliance we have encountered.”
Lawmakers sharply criticized Siva’s defence during the heated session, terming his explanations inadequate and evasive.
Luanda MP, Dick Maungu dismissed the CEO’s presentation outright, saying: “Your report does not meet the required threshold. It fails to demonstrate any form of compliance. This is an irritating report.”
In his defence, Siva claimed that the Agency previously had one employee living with a disability, but the individual had since passed away, and no new recruitment had been done to replace them.
On gender representation, Siva argued that most of the positions advertised by the agency are technical in nature, which, he said, tend to attract male applicants.
“The jobs we advertise are technical, which do not usually appeal to women, hence the male dominance,” he said.
His remarks, however, drew strong condemnation from committee members, who dismissed the explanation as misleading and discriminatory.
Nyeri County MP Rahab Mukami challenged Siva’s claims, saying that he was misleading the Committee.
“You’re misleading this Committee by claiming women shy away from technical jobs. I have a daughter who is an engineer and remains jobless — yet you claim there are no female applicants.”
Chairperson Haji added that the committee has access to data showing hundreds of qualified female engineers and technicians.
“If you need 30 today, we can provide them,” he told the CEO, warning him against misinforming Parliament.
Vice Chairperson Duncan Mathenge (Nyeri Town MP) said the evidence presented showed a total violation of the law, warning that the committee would consider punitive action against Siva as the accounting officer.
“The Committee cannot allow the tabling of your submission because it fails to meet the required threshold,” ruled Haji.
The committee has given the CEO two weeks to file a comprehensive compliance report addressing the issues of ethnic balance, gender representation, and inclusion of Persons Living with Disabilities.
