Busia county Public Service Board will employ only 59 askaris in a month’s time out of a large number of applicants.
Eligible candidates sat for an aptitude test at Busia Agricultural Training Centre yesterday.
A total of 265 candidates who were shortlisted from across the seven subcounties converged for the one-hour intelligence test supervised by CPSB chair Assumpta Obore.
Obore said the test was set a few hours to the exam to avoid leakage.
“We shall retreat to mark the papers before compiling the list of successful candidates who should get their appointment letters within a month,” she said.
Over 1,000 youths applied for the jobs but most of them failed medical and physical tests or did not have the required documents.
Obore said of the 268 shortlisted candidates, two were dropped because they failed to carry the required documents while one applicant did not show up.
“The process has been fair since it began at the subcounty level and the questions in the test were very fair. However, I am concerned that the number of recruits needed is very small and this means most of us will miss the opportunity,” Beverly Atyang, candadate, said.
Obore said the biggest challenge the board had was that vacancies are few against a large number of qualified youths.
“We have to be very strict as a result of this and in the process we step on the toes of those who do not manage to meet the requirements. As an independent committee, the board has done its work as prescribed by law,” she said.
