Ejected ward fund CEO left stranded in City Hall corridors since July

Office of the Governor Nairobi City County. [Samson Wire, Standard]

Nairobi County Ward Development Fund CEO Josephine Kithu has been marking time in the corridors of City Hall since she was dramatically ejected from office in July.

This emerged during the grilling of the Executive staff by the County Assembly Labour Committee to establish how the CEO was removed and another person hastily appointed, in an acting capacity.

The Executive team that was being grilled on Thursday was led by Boroughs Administration executive Patrick Mbogo and Acting County Secretary Patrick Analo, who is also the head of the public service.

The MCAs heard that on July 14, Kithu was thrown out of office under the watch of constables from the county Inspectorate Department.

After a video of her ejection from office went viral, fresh reports emerged that Kithu had been moved to the Finance Department. However, MCAs heard that Kithu was never accommodated in the new department.

“No one has deployed her to any department or any sector. She is still in the corridors of City Hall but earning a salary. You (the executive) told her to step aside to allow an audit to be carried out. Is there any report in this regard?” South C MCA Abas Khalif said.

Abas further demanded to know if a County Secretary would be in a position to send someone on leave noting it is the investigative arm of the government that would request for a certain person to step aside.

Analo said he came into office around April 2023 when the county assembly was already dealing with questions over the ward fund.

MCAs claimed the person who was appointed to replace Kithu was not vetted nor appointed by the Public Service Board.

Analo said he was requested to appoint another person to act in the office since “I am equally the head of the public service board”.

“After the audit of Financial Year 2022/23, the officer was requested to proceed on leave of 30 days, while enjoying all her privileges, to allow an audit of her office. The CEO was not removed from office but transferred.”

The committee sought to establish the exact office the Kithu was deployed to and if her new role would have the same capacity as the office she was interviewed for and appointed to.

Nominated MCA Joyce Kamua said it was unfair that county constables were tasked to eject Kithu, describing the act as degrading.

“When she started inquiring why she had been removed, that is the time you deployed her to an office that did not exist and does not exist even now. Is this the best way to treat your officers,” Kamau said.

On August 3, Kithu wrote to the County Secretary explaining how she was forcefully ejected from office during the July 14 incident. She later handed over a letter, dated June 13, directing her to report to the County Executive Member for Finance.

The letter said the officer was supposed to be assigned other duties on the Finance docket. However, Kithu said, this has never happened despite reporting to work daily.