The Ethics and anti-corruption commission (EACC) has summoned at least 104 Bungoma County village administrators for questioning on the modalities of their recruitment.
A letter seen by the Star indicates that the EACC is investigating allegations of irregular employment of village administrators by the Bungoma Public Service Board.
"This is to inform you that your interview and statement recording is scheduled May 3, 2023, at 2:00 pm," a letter written to one of the admins read in part.
The letter was written by the acting chief officer, of public service management and administration Stephen Makhanu.
The recruitment of the 236 village administrators has faced numerous hurdles with rights activists previously going to court to challenge the process.
In a case previously filed by 29 petitioners through their Lawyer Brian Khaemba at the Bungoma employment and labour courts, they claimed the recruitment process was marred with massive irregularities.
Some of the irregularities included that some beneficiaries did not have the required academic pre-qualifications for the job while others did not even apply for the job but were handed over the letters of appointment.
Other irregularities included that the exercise was marred with lots of bribery claims with some cases being of the underage employees.
Rights activists Barasa Nyukuri and Raphael Were of Torch Africa had also filed a petition complaining about the recruitment process.
The Employment and Labor Relations court through Judge Jemima Keli however during the ruling of the case directed the administrators to resume work and asked the petitioners to take the matter back to the county public service board citing that it was filed at the wrong place.
Khaemba at that time differed with the ruling vowing to move to the court of appeal.
“After today’s ruling, I have discussed with those who were affected during the recruitment exercise that I will be proceeding to the Court of Appeal,” Khaemba said, adding that the whole recruitment exercise was tainted with corruption.
