Employees told to stay at work stations all the time

Garissa, Kenya: Garissa County Secretary Mohamud Hassan Mursal has directed employees to stay at their work stations and serve the public diligently.

Mr Mursal, who is also the county’s chief of staff, singled out county executives and their chief officers for being notorious for staying outside the office.

He told them to make sure they balance office work, which requires them to be physically present in their offices, and the other duties that demand they be out in the field. Mursal said this was necessary so the public does not mistake their absence for truancy.

Residents have lamented over alleged truancy by majority of senior county officials.

They claimed the officials were only available to serve the public when Governor Nathif Jama is around.

Important functions

Reacting to complaints over alleged absenteeism by some senior officers, Mursal said the public misunderstood the role of a public servant.

“It is only fair for the public to know that most times, public officers are out of their offices to attend to other important functions,” he said.

He added: “In a bid to balance office work with other outdoor duties which require senior officials to get out of their offices, we have set aside specific days for the public to seek services that may require the physical presence of some officials.”

Mursal said any person who has legitimate complaints against a specific county officer must submit their concerns to the office of the deputy governor, which oversees and supervises the functions of all departments in the county administration, for prompt disciplinary action.

Service delivery

“The executive arm of the county government is now under strict scrutiny of the office of Deputy Governor Abdullahi Hussein so as to ensure that every officer is accountable in terms of service delivery to the residents of the county.

"Days of hanging coats on the office chair and disappearing unnecessarily from public offices are long gone,” the county secretary said.

Recently, Governor Jamaa directed his deputy to take charge in supervising civil servants' performance, as well as monitor and evaluate all development projects undertaken by the county government in all seven sub-counties to ensure the residents were getting value for their money.

Mursal challenged the youth to come up with innovative ideas that can catapult the county to prosperity and avoid engaging in idle talk in the social media, which has no value to the progress of the county which has been marginalised for the last 50 years.