Tough balancing act awaits Kisumu’s new Public Service Board

Charles Babu Karan takes an oath as the Kisumu County Public Service Board chairman on April 30, 2019. [Collins Oduor/Standard]

Shortage of skills amid a bloated workforce in the county are among issues awaiting Kisumu County Public Service Board members sworn in yesterday.

Others include political interests, high unemployment rate and a ballooning wage bill that has been eating into the county’s development agenda.

The six-member board comes in after two years of a vacuum after the previous board was hounded out of office when the new regime took office.

Babu Karan, Governor Anyang’ Nyong’o’s longtime confidant, was yesterday sworn in as the board’s chair, and will serve for a six-year non-renewable term together with five other members.

The members are Edward Kochung’, Jane Akinyi, Naashon Otieno, Jacinta Kapiyo and an executive member in former Governor Jack Ranguma’s cabinet Stephen Orot.

Last year, Prof Nyong’o’s government removed the previous board in a payout agreement, which saw the Naashon Oguya-chaired team leave office two years ahead of their contractual timeline.

The new team will have a tough balancing act of achieving a lean and effective workforce in an arena that has been described as "plenty of staff with irrelevant skills".

A staff headcount conducted in November last year has not been released.