Governors are to meet today, Tuesday, over a memo by the Ethics and Anti-Corruption Commission(EACC) that cautioned them against hiring officers without vetting.
EACC has accused 40 governors of violating the law on leadership and integrity when they hired officers without following the stipulated procedures by the agency.
In a memo sent out to all governors last week, the governors were informed that their county executive officers could lose their jobs if found not to have complied with financial, corruption, criminal and tax requirements.
“All governors are invited to a consultative meeting tomorrow (today) at the Council of Governors’ Delta Corner office in Westland,” posed the invite in part.
[caption caption="EACC Deputy CEO Michael Mubea"]
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EACC deputy CEO Michael Mubea maintained that the commission has a role in recruitment of public officers and that what the governors did was illegal.
“Governors must follow the law on leadership and integrity. In this matter, they have not done so. They cannot violate Chapter Six of the Constitution. They were supposed to forward names of those they want to recruit to us before they are vetted,” noted Mubea.
He added that, “This will ensure their competences and suitability are guaranteed after they fill and submit self declaration forms to us for vetting.”
This came as legal and governance experts differed on whether EACC has a role in hiring senior county government employees. Most governors have termed the commission’s memo ill-advised.
In Baringo, vetting and appointment of county executives was shrouded in controversy, especially after the public was locked out amidst questions about qualifications of some of the nominees.
In another instance, the public and journalists were kicked out as a nominee struggled to respond to questions. The nominees are claimed to have been sworn in despite a petition challenging appointment of the officials.
Nakuru Governor Lee Kinyanjui mentioned that the EACC did not give new governors sufficient advisory on appointment of ministers and other top officials.
[caption caption="Nakuru Governor Lee Kinyanjui"]
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“There was no prior communication from the ant-graft agency on whether to submit the names to them and other State agencies before engaging nominees. The job seekers sought clearance from the relevant State agencies as stipulated in the law. None told us to take the names to them for clearance,” told Kinyanjui.
