This archive report was first published on 10 September 2019.
September 10, 2019, marked a day when a syndicate involving the Busia county chief officer and the chairman of the county public service board was exposed, revealing a web of nepotism in the county's employment process.
According to reliable sources, Maurice Odundo, the chief officer for county lands, housing, and urban development, is at the center of the scandal. The allegations stem from job vacancies advertised in the Standard newspaper on February 13, 2019.
Investigations by Weekly Citizen revealed that Odundo's wife, Rose Wanyonyi, has been employed as a community development officer, while his cousin, David Okello, is set to fill the deputy municipality manager's position. Additionally, a niece, Margaret Riziki, has been shortlisted for the revenue and administrative officer 111 slot, and another relative, Alice Egesa, has been appointed as a revenue officer.
The chief officer, who is also a member of the Busia municipal board, is accused of forwarding the name of Patrick Wangalwa, a representative of the Law Society of Kenya, to become the board's chair despite doubts over his qualifications raised by the Busia county assembly.
Residents are outraged by the alleged underground motive of the chief officer and the public service board, citing the recent approval of the Busia municipal board by the county assembly and the fact that its members have not yet been sworn in.
CEO of the Ethics and Anti-Corruption Commission, Twalib Mbarak, is called upon to investigate the alleged syndicate process of recruiting staff for various positions, with residents demanding the prosecution of corrupt officers.
