Tharaka-Nithi Governor Ragwa denies sacking 300 casual workers

Tharaka-Nithi Governor Samuel Ragwa has denied sacking 300 casual workers said to be ghost workers.

In a press statement, the county boss said the ongoing exercise of scrutinising casual workers is meant to streamline the workforce.

"This is a normal routine exercise to ensure casual workers are properly engaged," the statement reads.

Mr Ragwa said the exercise is essential to ensure casual workers who are contracted for three months are scrutinised before their contracts are renewed.

He assured affected workers who have not received their pay for several months that their jobs are secure and urged them to ignore rumours that they have been sacked.

"There is no victimisation in the ongoing exercise. All casuals are assured their jobs are secure," Mr Ragwa stated.

In 2016, salaries for 300 employees listed as ghost workers were stopped and the affected people asked to submit employment documents.

Mr Ragwa said the workers will be reinstated once they are cleared by the committee handling the matter.

However, he noted that those who cannot satisfy the panel will lose their jobs.

"We want to clean up our payroll to make sure public money is not lost to ghost workers who could have got their names through the backdoor," said Mr Ragwa.

Nation.co.ke established that most of those whose names were removed from the payroll have not been paid for the last five months.

Sources inside the county government said there is tension, with many workers unaware of their fate.