Assembly report recommends sacking of Nakuru County officials over irregular hiring

The eagerly awaited report by the nine-member ad-hoc committee of the Nakuru County Assembly has recommended the immediate sacking of four officials over irregular hiring of employees in the county government.

The four are County Secretary Joseph Motari, County Public Service Board Chairman Waithanji Mutiti, Board Secretary James Mbugua and Public Service Management Chief Officer Philip Sigei

Also implicated is acting Lands, Housing and Physical Planning Chief Officer Victor Ndereba, with the committee recommending that he immediately relinquishes his position.

The report states that the four colluded in the irregular hiring of deputy sub-county administrators and ward administrators.

It also says that Dr Mutiti may have been compromised by some of the job seekers.

GROSSLY INCOMPETENT

According to the report, Dr Mutiti has been grossly incompetent in his stewardship of the county Public Service Board.

The board secretary on the other hand is accused of incompetence by failing to offer technical advice to the board in the recruitment process.

"In particular he watched as the Board violated Sections 59 and 60 of the County Government Act,” it states.

The report also states that it established that, jointly with the board chairman, the board secretary declined to sanction a request for a forensic audit on the county payroll.

According to the report, the county secretary admitted to the committee to having made appointments without the Board's approval.

In his defence, he said he acted on instructions from Governor Kinuthia Mbugua but the committee dismissed this explanation.

Mr Motari is seconded to the county government service board by the national government.

The committee wants his position competitively filled as ruled by the High Court in 2014.