By Shem Kosse
Top echelon officials of the Kisumu based Non Governmental Organization(NGO) TUUNGANE ,that is tasked with fighting the spread and creating HIV/AIDS awareness among the youth have allegedly turned the organization into a cash cow as the Kenya National NGO council watches the other way.
The NGO officials under the tutelage of Ken Ongengo programmes coordinator, Peter Abala senior accountant Impact Research and Development Organization (RDO) and Douglas Nyakundi, according to inner sources knowledgeable to the clandestine deals, conspires with various Hotels’ management in the lakeside city and its environ whenever a programme crops up for Training of Trainers (ToT), to bag hefty finances by inflating the requisitions, among other ills.
The lower cadre officials who sought for anonymity claimed that the officials grease their pockets with at least 500 thousand shillings per programme. The ToTs are always expected to plough back their resourcefulness to the community by training the youths, on completion of the course.
Started in 2004 and being funded through CDC by US based organization,PEPFAR,Tuungane also deals with male circumcision as one of the preventive measures against the global scourge and its unlikely to achieve this effectively due to hefty upfront kick backs, accruing from the mobilization fee, that Abala allegedly demands from programme coordinators of the exercise.
Up in arms are also the local suppliers who too took issue with Abala for demanding for the same as a gross payment before he assents to any supplies tender and marveled why a certain firm in town, PENTA MC, apart from ever landing lucrative tenders has, additionally, come up with phantom firms without physical addresses clinching tenders to the chagrin of the firms belonging to the locals that had been prequalified.
Not left out in the tribulations bedeviling the outfit, is the Human Resource manager Mrs. Everlyne Opiyo and Dr Kawango Agot the Director R.D.O.
The former allegedly hired her husband as a facilitator of one of the trainings at the St. Ann Guest House brushing aside the qualified lot.
She has further refused to employ the volunteers who have served for more than 3 months as stipulated by the labour laws a move that is likely to open a flood gate of legal suits against the organization culminating to massive compensation.“The HR only excels in sacking us without warning letters” averred one of the volunteers.
While the latter, is very selective and nepotistic on salary awards to the workers fraternity: some certificate holders are earning more than diploma and degree holders. Some of the officials denied vehemently the allegations with Mr. Abala threatening this journalist with legal action “we have lawyers outside here my friend. I dare you to publish the story! ‘’ he thundered on phone. The story to be continued. Watch this space…………………
ENDS
5 users commented in " Pressure mounts for probe of Kisumu HIV/AIDS NGO "
Follow-up comment rss or Leave a TrackbackCan’t you come up with your own NGO instead of critising?
due to the respect i have for the tuungane group, i might be surprised that the war might be selfish. most Kenyans do bay for the blood of the innocent. if your spouse can present what is wrong to engage him? by the way a clean bill should start from 51% and Tuungane must be at 70%. please learn from the CHALLENGES and score more. Criticism is health and should create space for improvement.
sir george
These people who want every one to come up with an NGO are water-headed men and women. They are the con artists of today who thrive on charity by making noise on the cyber world with please of donations so that they may cash in innocent widows and orphans…they even own old matatus bought from donor alms…point taken? A well known one is called Vincent who is crying from a simal exposure by the local media.
Some of your comments are ridiculously unreasonable, people like Kevin Oloo, or whatever your name is? You still need to learn your manners again, ‘ you do sound sorry for yourself-like a dying duck in a thunderstorm’. Maybe you’re the prince of liars.
Tuungane, is doing a great job and we both need to agree on this as a matter of fact, that they’ve done so well to change so many lives in our society especially in a town {Kisumu} with one of the worlds worst record of HIV/AIDS where atleast 1 in 7 of the population are infected with HIV, and AIDS kills so many people everyday.
Though, I agree that many people still doesn’t know there HIV status yet.
One man, one woman and lets all learn the ABC of HIV/AIDS awareness. Lets not lock the stable door after the horse has bolted.
Some of your comments are ridiculously unreasonable, people like Kevin Oloo, or whatever your name is? You still need to learn your manners again. ‘ You do sound sorry for yourself-like a dying duck in a thundrestorm.’ Maybe you’re the prince of liars.
Tuungane, is doing a great job, and we need to agree on this as a matter of fact that Tuungane, have done so well to change so many lives in our community especially in a town {Kisumu} with one of the worlds worst records of HIV/AIDS where atleast 1 in 7 of the population are infected with HIV, and AIDS kills many people everyday.
Though, I agree that many of us still do not know their HIV status yet.
This is my personal opinion that one man, one woman, and lets all learn the ABC/AIDS awareness. Lets not lock the stable door after the horse has bolted.
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