36 devolved workers in Bomet County kicked out

The county has asked 36 employees on secondment to relinquish their positions and return to the national government for redeployment.

The administration, through the office of the county secretary, said it no longer needs the services of the affected officials.

In letters signed by chief officer in the office of County Secretary Kilelson Mutai and seen by The Standard, the staff has been asked to immediately relinquish their positions and report back to their respective ministry headquarters in Nairobi.

The employees affected are in the departments of agriculture, public works, public health and education.

The move has however attracted condemnation from the Transition Authority (TA), which has accused the county of breaching a 2014 Special Gazette notice on seconded staff.

"It is total disregard by the county government of the Special Gazette notice of 2014 which protects staff who are on secondment from the national government. If it is not going to rescind its decision and pay these staff their December salaries and allowances, then it should be prepared for a legal battle," said Richard Sigei, TA representative in Bomet.

The affected employees have read mischief in the move, claiming they were targeted because they are not residents of Bomet County.

One of the affected employees told The Standard that staff on secondment who are not local residents were the only ones who have been served with the letters.

Move illegal

"We were shocked to learn that it is only those who are not from Bomet County that are being asked to return to the national government," said the employee, adding that the move was in disregard of the constitutional provision that a third of staff should be non-residents.

A number of the staff who sought clarification from their previous ministries in Nairobi were turned back and asked to stay put.

"Once we received the letters, we went to Nairobi and unfortunately we were told that the county did not notify the respective ministries and were asked to continue serving in Bomet but our December salaries have been withheld," said another affected

The Standard has, at the same time, learnt that the move has affected all the 10 departments in the county.

While defending the decision, Mutai said the move was informed by the law, saying the county was neither looking back nor regretting the decision.

Speaking to The Standard on phone, the chief officer said the affected staff were involved in disciplinary issues.

"All the affected staff from the 10 departments in our county have disciplinary issues though we did not indicated in the letters. We thought they should just go back rather than continue staying in Bomet," said Mutai in the interview.

He also confirmed the withholding of salaries saying they took the action to compel some who have refused to return to the national government.

"This has been a continuous exercise and there is no ill intent in the move. Most are residence of Bomet and not non-residents only that have been targeted," said Mutai.