Kiambu County Staff Cry Foul Over Unequal Distribution of Cash Handouts From Governor Wamatangi’s Office

Employees within the Kiambu County Department of Water, Environment, Natural Resources and Climate Change have raised questions over the distribution of a cash allocation issued under a county employee reward programme, which they say was handled unevenly across departments and sub-counties.

The matter centres on claims that staff in different departments received varying amounts, with some workers reporting higher allocations in certain departments, while employees in the environment department say they received minimal payouts in some areas, and in other sub-counties no allocation was received at all.

According to the employees, the variation in distribution has triggered internal dissatisfaction, with claims that funds intended for staff recognition were either reduced at departmental level or diverted before reaching intended recipients, leaving lower cadres in certain departments disadvantaged compared to others.

The employees further state that the matter has been discussed informally within workstations across Kiambu County, with questions being directed at financial officers and municipal managers over the handling of the funds and the criteria used to determine distribution across departments.

One of the staff members who raised the issue said the allocation had been communicated as a token of appreciation for county employees, but the final disbursement varied widely depending on department and location, with environment staff reporting the least favourable outcome.

The employees provided the following narration of events regarding the allocation and its distribution across departments.

"Hello Cyprian. Please post this and expose Governor Kimani Wamatangi. Sorry for using a pseudo account, just for job security. Recently the governor gave out money as a token of appreciation to county employees to be shared amongst staff. Other departments received as much as Ksh 3,000 and above in most sub-counties in Kiambu. Staff from the Kiambu Water, Environment, Natural Resources and Climate Change department received Ksh 500 and in most sub-counties they received nothing. That is very unfair and there is no justice at all. The financial officers and municipal managers pocketed what was meant for environment staff. Please, we need justice."

The claims point to internal tension within county departments over allocation of employee benefits, with staff now seeking clarity on the criteria used, the final distribution records, and the officials responsible for disbursement.

Kiambu Governor Kimani Wamatangi, who is serving his first term after winning the 2022 general election and previously served as Senator for Kiambu between 2017 and 2022, has in recent months focused on administrative reforms, infrastructure development, healthcare improvements, and youth empowerment programmes within the county government structure.

His administration has also been involved in managing internal financial obligations and restructuring service delivery frameworks across departments, even as questions occasionally emerge from staff-level interactions over resource distribution and internal equity.

Employees affected by the current allocation dispute are now calling for a formal review of the distribution process, including disclosure of departmental breakdowns, verification of amounts disbursed to each sub-county, and clarification on whether funds passed through financial offices and municipal management structures without alteration.

They are urging relevant county oversight offices, including internal audit and public service management units, to establish a clear record of how the allocation was processed and to determine whether all departments received equal treatment under the stated employee reward programme.