Laikipia Governor Joshua Irungu has suspended the entire County Revenue Board following widespread allegations of bribes and demands for sexual favours from job seekers.
Irungu said investigations had commenced and urged any victims who had been subjected to unwarranted demands to come forward and make the claims to his office.
There are claims that victims were asked to pay Sh80,000 to secure the limited vacancies in the county.
The governor then decided to take the “decisive step of suspending the Laikipia County Revenue Board to facilitate thorough and transparent investigations into the claims of bribery and sexual harassment”.
“I call on anyone with pertinent information regarding these allegations to come forward, confident that their identity will be protected to ensure justice prevails and fairness is upheld at all costs,” he said.
The governor added that his administration would ensure that fairness and integrity guide every aspect of governance and would not tolerate any form of corruption or misconduct.
He was speaking after handing over renewal of contract letters to 250 revenue collectors set to commence on December 1, at the Nanyuki county hall.
The matter had also been discussed at the Laikipia county assembly.
Chairman of the Labour, social welfare and community service, Stephen Nderitu, tabled the motion.
“To end corruption, impunity and sexual harassment to innocent jobseekers, the entire board must go home,” the Thingithu MCA said at the floor of the assembly while moving the motion a week ago.
While contributing to the motion, nominated MCA Leila Hussein said even if only one board member was involved in the vice, it would only be fair to send the whole team packing to protect the integrity of the institution.
“It is sickening and regrettable that in our county, influential persons in government are preying on young girls and demanding sexual favours for a one-year contract job whose salary is below Sh20,000. We should not spare such sex pests,” Hussein said.
The board had in September advertised 250 vacancies following the expiry of the one –year contract for the cohort hired in October last year.
More than 4,000 potential job seekers had applied for the slots, reportedly leading to high-level canvassing by some members of the board and other influential persons in the county government.
Some of the collectors whose contracts had expired were retained, but
became targets for sexual demands
and bribes to remain in their positions.
