GDC on the spot over alleged selective job promotions, union threatens strike

Geothermal Development Company is on the spot for allegedly disregarding the State Corporations Advisory Committee recommendation, on filling of positions and promoting of employees.

The Kenya Electrical Trades and Allied Workers’ Union (KETAWU) said GDC continues to discriminate against employees despite the advisory.

KETAWU, in a letter to the CS Ministry of Energy, Opiyo Wandayi, raised concern over alleged selective policy application at senior management levels on academic qualifications acquired in-service. He noted continued discrimination against unionisable employees.

Nadome in the letter dated August 8, 2025, noted that the State Corporation Advisory Committee (SCAC) guided the recognition of academic qualifications acquired in-service in May 2025, indicating that such qualifications shall be considered on jobs advertised internally or externally competitively and outlawed upgrade.

State Corporations Advisory Committee (SCAC) Secretary, Simon Indimuli, in the circular said employees of State corporations will not be automatically promoted after advancing their studies. He said such employees will be required to apply for vacant positions should they arise.

Indimuli said that upgrading a staff member who was hired without a degree to a position requiring a degree, solely based on having obtained one, is tantamount to mischievously filling a vacant post without opening it up to a competitive and transparent process.

He noted that the practice of upgrading officers to higher grades due to acquired degree certificates could also imply that the staff establishment is porous enough to absorb any number of certificate-holders, without regard for capping within the complement control system.

Indimuli made the remarks in an advisory to the Geothermal Development Company (GDC), which had sought guidance on how to handle the grading of officers who obtain undergraduate degrees while in service.

“Please note that whenever there is a vacancy at any State corporation, such a vacancy is supposed to be filled openly and competitively, as required by the Constitution of Kenya (2010) and the approved Human Resource (HR) Instruments,” read part of the advisory dated May 7, 2025.

The union in the letter stamped received by the CS noted that the positions of  General Manager, Corporate Services, General Manager, Finance and Investment and Manager Human Resource Management were filled without advertising.

Nadome noted that SCAC recommendation is now being applied selectively within unionisable grades only. He noted that there is a proposal that requires employees in Grade 10 to be interviewed before promotion to Grade 9 but promotions and or upgrades at higher grades were done without interviews.

“The positions required master's qualifications, which they acquired while in in-service, were considered, while unionisable grades were not. This has raised serious issues on fairness, equity and transparency not being exercised, hence discrimination,” read the letter signed by KETAWU National General Secretary Ernest Nadome.

Nadome said the positions of General Manager Finance and Investment, Corporate Services, and Manager Human Resource Management must be advertised internally or externally.

He said implementing the SCAC recommendations at lower ranks but excluding similar cases at superior levels is demoralizing and unjustifiable.

He also called for the rectification of errors previously made, as some of the employees were placed in the wrong job at the time of selection.

The union is also calling for the suspension of external hiring of staff without advertisement for equal opportunities, and have the ongoing recruitment to be audited.

“The union insists that the SCAC advisory is to be implemented only upon all eligible members being recognized and accordingly positioned. Selective application of external advisories is not acceptable and has to stop,” he added.

Nadome also petitioned the CS to intervene and have GDC management submit the 2025-2029 Collective Bargain Agreement proposal to the Salaries and Remuneration Commission immediately and commence negotiations.

He said the union will call for a strike if the issues raised are not addressed.

“We request your urgent intervention in resolving these matters, which have been long outstanding. Should there be no substantive progress, the Union will invoke industrial action as mandated under the Labour Relations Act,” concluded Nadome.