Anxiety grips top Kakamega county staff as Barasa takes office

Anxiety has gripped senior staff at Kakamega county headquarters as Governor Fernandes Barasa prepares to reorganise his government following the change of guard.

Top county staff left behind by retiring Governor Wycliffe Oparanya are in panic about their fate under the new leadership. Barasa was sworn into office as the second governor for Kakamega on Thursday.

It has emerged that a group calling itself county intelligence is capitalising on the state of uncertainty to extort worried staff with the promise they would give a positive report on them to Barasa to enable them be retained.

Among those targeted for extortion are serving county executives, directors and heads of several county units who are asked to part with huge amounts of cash, failing to which they are profiled and branded moles.

At least three county executives told the Star that they are targeted by the group, which is now spinning a narrative that they (executives) are supporters of former Senator Cleophas Malala who lost to Barasa in the August 29 governor election.

“The group headed by a young man in the county has been moving around claiming to be working with the National Intelligence Services  and has recorded telephone conversations of those they target and demand for money purportedly to clear their names,” he said.

The county advertised vacancies for the 10 County Executive Committee Members, county secretary and head of public service and slots for the county Public Service Board members.

The 10 CECMs slots to be filled are;  Finance, Economic Planning and ICT, Agriculture, Livestock, Fisheries and Veterinary Services, Health Services, Public Service and County Administration and Trade, Industrialisation and Tourism.

Others are Social Services, Sports Youth, Women Empowerment and Culture, Land, Housing, Urban Areas and Physical Planning, Education, Science and Technology, Roads, Energy and Public Works and Water, Environment, Natural Resources and Climate Change. 

Deputy governor Ayub Savula has insisted that his DAP-K party and ODM will share the government on a 50-50 basis.

Savula wants to be allowed to fill five of the CECMs and leave another five slots to be filled by Barasa.

Addressing county staff at his Matungu residence after being sworn in on Thursday, Barasa assured them that he will not sack them as long as they focused on their jobs. He however put on notice lazy staff.

-Edited by SKanyara