The Homa Bay county government has announced it will fire extension officers sleeping on the job.
The county government says some agricultural officers do not take their work seriously`.
Agriculture executive Aguko Juma said on Monday underperforming extension officers have been put on notice and will be sacked should they fail to improve.
Juma said some extension officers engage in private activities and abandon the duties they are mandated to offer farmers.
He said the officers fail to give information to the government about agricultural matters. “Extension officers in Homa Bay must up their game. They should respond to their call of duty or leave the job,” Juma said.
Juma spoke to journalists after meeting more than 30 extension officers. He accused some of them of hampering the Homa Bay government from achieving its development goals.
He said his department cannot trace the progress of a cattle cross-breeding project launched in Rangwe constituency by the county government in 2016.
“You can’t benefit from taxpayers’ money but fail the public,” he added.
The executive said the government has received complaints from farmers that they are not assisted when there is an outbreak of livestock or crop diseases.
“Farmers have lost their livestock even in places where a quarantine order should be imposed. This occurs because the officers are asleep on the job,” Juma said.
