The respected Sikh community in Nairobi is now on the post over leadership wrangles that could force the government to shut down the community’s business empire including the multi-million-shilling Guru Nanak Hospital located in Pangani.
The hospital which is a subsidiary of the East African Ramgarhia Board (EARB) has been caught up in the leadership wrangles in the board which has been escalated by claims of financial mismanagement and failure by the board to hold elections of its officials.
The Attorney General through the Registrar of Societies has already written to the East African Ramgarhia Board indicating that the board’s leadership is in office illegally since their term in office expired on or about June 28, 2020.
In a letter dated March 31, 2023, the Registrar of Societies has stated that the board’s incumbent executive committee members Jaswinder Singh Virdi, Surinder Singh Sihra and Manminders S. Jandu who were elected into office on June 28, 2018, are in office illegally since their two years’ term in office has already expired.
The Registrar of Societies has therefore indicated that the EARB incumbent executive committee members have committed an offence for failing to hold a statutory General Meeting pursuant to the provisions of Section 29 of the Societies Act which states that every registered society shall at least once in every year hold a general meeting.
“Any registered society which contravenes the rules shall be guilty of an offence,” added the Registrar of Societies in a letter signed by Senior State Counsel D.M Njoroge.
The Registrar of Societies has previously attempted to mediate in the wrangles within the Sikh community but one faction led by Manminder Singh Jandu, the General Secretary of the East African Ramgarhia Board moved to court to stop the planned AGM that was to take place on the 26th of March.
The Directorate of Criminal Investigations is already probing the community’s executive committee members for alleged misuse of funds after members of the community requested the DCI to open investigations over the alleged massive looting of the community’s funds.
The ongoing investigations which started way back in August 2021 are probing the board members on allegations touching on alleged misappropriation of funds in both Guru Nanak Hospital and Sikh Temple by some board members.
Court papers reveal that Guru Nanak Hospital has made losses of at least Sh300 million in the last four years and it’s unable to comfortably pay the salaries of key staff, some of whom have opted to sue.
Meanwhile, the embattled Sikh community board members are also in court in attempts to save the Guru Nanak Hospital from auctioneers who are in court to auction the hospital at a cost of Sh19,430,380 million to recover the hospital’s debts.
The EARB was originally formed to govern and administer the activities of the Sikh Community in Kenya.
It has since grown to a large society organization with interests in religious, welfare and medical services.
The body is headquartered at the Ramgarhia Sikh Temple premises in Pangani, Nairobi.
