Kisii Governor Simba Arati on Monday maintained that the ongoing push to clean up the County payroll of ghost staff will not stop.
Arati appeared unbowed by criticism from County's Senator Richard Onyonka and MPs Japhet Nyakundi and Anthony Kibagendi who on Saturday accused him of terrorising staff with inhuman parades over academic certificates.
Arati said the county sorely needs a work force unsullied by forged and fake academic papers and that no amount of pressure from anybody will slow him down.
Already, the county boss has forwarded to examination agency, Knec, the staff' academic papers for cross checking.
"I have heard a few murmurs but I ask do you want to be served by people whose papers are not genuine yet we have very honest people who have spent a fortune studying," posed Arati to residents who turned to mark Jamhuri Day at Tendere in Ogembo, Kisii.
The governor spoke even as MPs Kibagendi and Nyakundi accused him of unfair staff audits, which they have termed a witch hunt.
They legislators carried out anti-Arati campaigns in Marani, Riotero and Nyaore Polytechnic grounds.
At Nyaore, a Ward representative was shut down by angry mourners when he attempted to defend the governor against the claims by the legislators and the senator.
The MCA was cautioning Onyonka against criticising the governor and instead seek to dialogue with him when mourners booed him and ordered him off the podium.
Speaking in Tendere, Arati said he continued to remain unfazed by the attacks from the leaders. He, instead spoke of his fired up zeal to transform the County.
He said he has already secured valuable donors who would bankroll a number of projects in the devolved unit.
The county boss said he was above partisan politics the kind Onyonka and the Kitutu political leaders are playing against him.
He said his intentions are honest and free from any malice.
The ongoing audit, he said would help address the county's ballooning wage bill.
“I know there are people who stagnated in one point for long, others actually perform duties outside their mandate and thus incompetent to deliver," he said.
At the same time the governor warned that he would not hesitate from punishing graft in his administration even as he called for utmost integrity among the workers.
Among those present were his deputy, Robert Monda, Bomachoge Chache MP, Alfa Miruka and County Commissioner, Allan Macharia.
Others were County Assembly Speaker Philip Nyanumba, Woman representative, Doris Donya Aburi and a host of Ward reps.
