A chief and his three assistants are facing the sack for allegedly attending a meeting at Governor Isaac Ruto’s residence in Chepalungu without the county commissioner’s knowledge.
Kapkimolwa location Chief Paul Langat his assistants Joseph Koskei (Koibeyon sub-location), Samuel Keter (Kiptulwa) and Matelong Rono (Kapkimolwo) have been given three days by Bomet East sub-county Commissioner Paul Papa to show cause why they should not be disciplined.
In a letter seen by The Standard, the administrators have been accused of misconduct for “failing to consult their seniors before leading delegations from their area of jurisdiction to the governor’s residence on June 10”.
They have also been warned that failure to, by June 20, explain their actions will result in unspecified disciplinary measures that could end their stay in service.
The administrators were in the company of Longisa Ward Rep Stephen Changmorik during the visit.
Speaking to The Standard, Mr Papa said the administrators did not consult his office before leading the delegation as in the code of conduct of service.
“We have no issue with their visit to the governor’s residence. The problem is that they failed to consult my office for briefing on the issues they were going to present before governor Ruto,” Papa said.
He said the administrators have no excuse for sidestepping his office, adding that they will be held accountable for their misconduct.
“One of them has even made the situation worse by opting to circulate the letter on social media instead of explaining to us why he breached the code of conduct,” Papa said.
The move is, however, expected to strain the relationship between the governor’s office and that of County Commissioner Bernard Leparmarai.
NOT POLITICAL
Leaders from the area have since come out to protest the move, saying it seeks to intimidate chiefs who are perceived to be close to the governor.
“This is quite unfortunate and aimed at curtailing service delivery in the name of protecting Government functions. It should be condemned and discouraged by all means for the sake of development and cohesiveness,” Mr Changmorik said.
Defending the chiefs, the ward rep said the visit was not political, as thought by the senior administrators, saying it would therefore be wrong to sack them.
“Elders from Kapkimolwo location demanded that the chiefs accompany them to visit the governor.
Stay informed. Subscribe to our newsletter
It was not their initiative as claimed and it would not be very wise to send them home for accompanying the elders,” he said.
Changmorik accused Papa of acting on “rumours to discipline his juniors” saying it was indeed unfortunate.
Governor Ruto also condemned the move, saying it is wrong to threaten the chiefs with dismissal yet they have done nothing wrong.
In a statement, Ruto said there was nothing secretive about the meeting that would warrant disciplinary action.
“The meeting brought together opinion leaders from Longisa Ward and it was a routine consultative meeting to review various development projects being undertaken in the area,” he said.
Ruto noted that the meeting is one of many he holds with leaders, including during public barazas, to have a feel of what the various zones require to fast-track development projects.
The Standard Group Plc is a
multi-media organization with investments in media platforms spanning newspaper
print operations, television, radio broadcasting, digital and online services. The
Standard Group is recognized as a leading multi-media house in Kenya with a key
influence in matters of national and international interest.
join