The Siaya county assembly has criticised Governor Cornel Rasanga for deliberately creating additional chief officer posts without following due process.
Rasanga’s move was revealed after members of the public raised their eyebrows and petitioned MCAs to stop the process. He had planned to recruit seven chief officers for different departments and had already forwarded their names to the assembly for approval. The county already has 10 chief officers.
The assembly has rejected the new positions, citing breach of fundamental procedure and statutory requirements.
“We ask the governor to withdraw the list and ensure the process follows the right direction as per the law,” the report of the Committee on Appointment said.
Gem residents had complained that the process was flawed and the community had been left out. They accused Rasanga of awarding positions to people from his backyard only, in violation of the law. West Asembo MCA Ambrose Akuno raised similar concerns. He said the process was illegal and ignored the need for regional balancing.
The County Public Service Board, which is charged with hiring staff, distanced itself from the new posts. Its members said they were not consulted.
The Committee on Appointments took up the petition. After two weeks of investigations, it found that the procedures used were flawed and illegal. The team, chaired by speaker George Okode, said the creation of additional positions must comply with the law. Otherwise, it is null and void.
The assembly urged the Committee on Governance and Administration to investigate the conduct of the County Public Service Board secretary. It blamed the secretary for allowing flawed interview and selection processes under the guise of delegating duties.
