Africa CDC accused of overstaffing with Kenyan nationals
The Africa Centre for Disease Control (Africa CDC) is being accused of engaging more Kenyans as employees than any other nationality.
A special audit ordered by Director General Dr. Jean Kaseya who joined the organisation in April last year revealed that more than half of the CDC's 300 employees are from Kenya and Ethiopia.
The audit, according to The Star, points out regional and gender imbalances in the organization that is supported by 54 African Union Member States.
“Some 81 percent of the staff were English-speaking on a continent with a wide range of language diversity — this includes 39 percent of countries officially speaking French. And more than half of the staff came from Kenya and Ethiopia — an uneven balance for a continent with 54 countries,” Devex, a media platform that reports on global development activities was quoted by The Star.
This comes after Dr. Ahmed Ogwell Ouma, deputy head of Africa CDC and acting interim director general was reportedly forced out of his position to ensure regional representation.
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The Star reports that the organisation is working towards an increase of employees to more than 900. This could be disadvantageous for Kenyans who may already be seen as overrepresented because of their huge numbers.
The Africa Center for Disease Control employs workers on regular contracts and short-term contracts, where 90 percent of all workers fall.
Staff are mostly seconded by partners and contract renewals are subject to the availability of funds or the needs of the organisation.
The current director general, Dr Jean Kaseya, is originally from the Democratic Republic of Congo, a member of the East African Community.
According to The Star, Kenya hosts Africa CDC’s Eastern Africa Regional Collaboration Centre in Nairobi and is set to host the Regional Emergency Operations Centre due to the country's strategic geopolitical position.
The CDC which was launched in 2017 serves as a support system for health systems of African countries and played a significant role in securing COVID-19 supplies for the continent.
