April salary delay sparks outcry among Taita Taveta County staff

Taita Taveta County government employees have not been paid their April salaries amid claims the administration is cash-strapped and heavily indebted.

About 3,000 permanent and casual workers have not been paid, and the County Government Workers Union is contemplating calling for industrial action.

Speaking to The Standard yesterday, the employees protested at the salary delay, saying it had not only inconvenienced them but also badly affected their morale and service delivery.

“We have children to feed and educate, and the county administration seems not to care about our plight. Landlords are also on our necks,” complained one employee.

Earlier, the Finance and Planning department had issued a circular indicating that the salaries would be delayed but did not specify up to when.

The workers claimed staff in the county assembly had already been paid their salaries.

Allowances pending

“The county assembly staff and MCAs were paid their April salaries on time. Only allowances are still pending,” said the workers.

County Secretary Samuel Mwanyasi confirmed that salaries for the county staff had been delayed.

The workers accused the county executive of taking unnecessary trips instead of looking for ways to address the salary delays.

The delay comes at a time when the county administration has been grappling with poor revenue collection.

Governor Granton Samboja recently noted that revenue collection had been dwindling, adding that the county administration was putting in place strategies to generate more revenue for sustainability.

“We are operating at the mercy of the national government as we cannot sustain ourselves,” he said.