This archive report was first published on 8 October 2019.
On October 8, 2019, Nyandarua County Governor Francis Kimemia took a bold step to address the issue of ghost workers in the county's public service. He ordered the new members of the county public service board to embark on a thorough headcount to ensure that the county government did not pay salaries to non-existent workers.
The move comes after Kimemia noted that feuds were the order of the day in the former CPSB, leading to poor service delivery and shortages of essential officers such as agricultural and health officers.
According to the chairman of the Nyandarua County Workers Union, Ernest Macharia, some health facilities had been running with only one nurse, who worked without rest, violating labor laws. Additionally, Macharia stated that many casual workers had worked for extended periods without confirmation and earned less than others despite performing the same duties.
The leader of the majority in the county, Ednard Kingori, expressed confidence in the new board, while the deputy county commissioner, Omari Hassan, represented the county commissioner, Boaz Cherutich, at the swearing-in ceremony of the board members.
The new board members, led by chairman William Gatehi and secretary James Ndirangu, were sworn in by senior principal magistrate Harrison Baraza. The board was tasked with immediately advertising internship programs and vacancies of chief officers before proceeding to an induction at the Kenya School of Government in Nairobi.
