A report prepared by Auditor General Nancy Gathungu has revealed that most counties have not adhered to Section 7(2) of the National Cohesion and Integration Act, 2008 which states that no public establishment shall have more than 30 per cent of its staff from same ethnic community.
The Auditor General's Report on the County Governments County Executives 2022-2023, further noted that 11 counties had employed over 90 per cent of its staff from one community.
The counties are; Nyandarua, Machakos, Nyeri, Kirinyaga, Uasin Gishu, Elgeyo Marakwet, Baringo, Kericho, Bomet, Kakamega, Kisii and Nyamira.
Baringo County Governor Benjamin Chesire Cheboi was identified as having employed the largest number of county employees from one community.
According to the Office of the Auditor General (OAG), 97 per cent of workers employed during the year under review were from the dominant ethnic community.
Governors Wavinya Ndeti (Machakos) and Erick Mutai (Kericho) were found to have employed 96 per cent of their staff from their own community.
“The County Executive recruited a total number of 271 new staff during the year. However, the staff number comprised of 260 members of staff from the dominant ethnic community in the County forming 96 per cent of the new staff composition,” Gathungu spoke of Kericho County.
For Nyandarua, Governor Moses Ndirangu Badilisha was accused of having his administration employ 2,264 out of 2,373 employees from his community.
In the neighbouring Nyeri County, the OAG observed, “Review of personnel records provided revealed that the County Executive had 92 per cent of its workforce from the dominant ethnic community.”
Under the leadership of Anne Waiguru, Kirinyaga County, employed 2,255 out of 2,448 members of staff from the dominant ethnic community.
In Uasin Gishu, 93 per cent of staff recruited during the 2022/2023 financial year were from one ethnic community while in neighbouring Elgeyo Marakwet, 95 per cent of county executive staff employed over a similar period of time were from one dominant community.
Hillary Barchok from Bomet County was also accused of hiring 97 per cent from one community while his counterpart from Nyamira Amos Nyaribo employed 94 per cent of his staff from the dominant ethnic community.
Governors Fernandes Barasa (Kakamega) and Simba Arati (Kisii) were also accused of employing 91 per cent and 94 per cent of their communities respectively.
