What Really Happened Between Mrs Karen Kandie and Mr Alassane Ba?

There has been media reports that Shelter Afrique boss, Mr Alassane Ba, assaulted the finance director at the same institution. But fresh details from people are aware of what happened are now emerging. It seems from the explanation provided that Mr Ba and his alleged victim Mrs Karen Njeri Kandie were involved in what looks like more than just professional relationship.

Pictures shown to me by workers at Shelter Afrique show Mr Ba and Mrs Kandie in very compromising situation in local hotels and abroad. Some of the employees also allege that Ms Kandie who is married to Communications Commission of Kenya (CCK) Human Resources Director, Juma Kandie, is exaggerating all what happened in the lead-up and during the said exchange between her and Mr Ba.

Ms Karen Njeri Kandie joined the institution in September 2009 after strong lobbying by Ministry of Housing Permanent Secretary Tirop Kosgey, who is also alleged to be in the love triangle where the main subject in Mrs Kandie. She has had issues with both employees in the company and government officials in the diplomatic circle. She has rubbed most of the employees at Shelter Afrique and various government of Kenya departments in a not so civil manner.

But lets look at what brought all the recent fracas. First, Mrs Kandie (she would love to be referred to as a Ms) failed in 3 consecutive staff appraisals. She scored below average and her contract is suppose to expire in November 2012. She has also of late been at odds with Mr Ba at a personal and professional level. She has been bragging of her connections to the power that be especially Mr Tirop Kosgey. She has also been described by fellow employees as not a team player, arrogant and boisterous.

When Mr Ba called her to his office on June 18th 2012 (yes, it didn’t happen last week), she was prepared for the worse and did not take it like her boss was looking to discuss the office matter in a cordial manner. She took time to prepare a trap for her boss and thought that it was time to bring the poor Mauritanian down.

Sources at Shelter Afrique reveal that Mrs Kandie confessed that “she wanted to nail the fool and send her back home” before storming to her boss’ office. She prepared to record her set-up and later use the information recorded using her BlackBerry to force her boss through the media and the Kenyan government authorities to expel the diplomat.

Mid-way through their chat, Mr Ba realised that he was being set-up as Mrs Kandie was secrely recording the conversations and was uneasy. She was fiddling with her phone in a not so normal manner forcing Mr Ba to call security which took away the phone. Mrs Kandie then insulted everyone in the room including Mr Ba before walking away warning the CEO of unspecified consequences. Mr Ba was forced to invoke the company’s rules and procedures suspending her to pave way for the board to get involved.

Regarding the controversial diplomatic immunity clause, Mr Ba is a diplomat who is covered under the agreement signed in 1982 between the Kenyan government and Shelter Afrique. Section 23 of the agreement show that “senior officials of Shelter Afrique shall enjoy immunity from legal prosecutions, immunity from personal or detention or seizure of their personal property, immunity of inspection of official baggage and personal baggage if the official is at the rank of Assistant Director and above.”

The supposed directive by Ministry of Foreign affairs calling for the arrest of Mr Ba is thus very much null and void. In matters of the heart, we should always not rush to judge. Mr Ba should be accorded a hearing. I am really against gold-diggers and opportunists whose greatest argument is “I have a case because I wear a skirt.”

Mrs Kandie is a woman who is peddling flesh to rise in the professional rank or settle scores. She has no valid argument in demanding the repatriation of Mr Ba.