Inside Nyaribo’s mass demotion of county employees

Business at the Nyamira County headquarters came to a stand still after Governor Amos Nyaribo released the names of staff members who were promoted through dubious means. The governor who was flanked by members of his kitchen cabinet exposed over 1,000 employees, mostly women, who were promoted after paying bribes or engaging in sexual relationships with top officials who worked with the late governor John Nyangarama.

Nyaribo demoted all the staffers who benefited from the illegal and irregular promotions as his administration resorts to recovering all the money they earned through the illegal promotions. The recovery is set to start from the August salaries which will affect employees from all the 10 departments in Nyamira County.

An audit report presented to the CECMs by the governor shows that all the illegal promotions were hurriedly done through computers and that there was no evidence of the relevant departments awarding the job grades to the affected workers.

The report also revealed that most of the staff members earned higher grades without going through the requisite procedures as stipulated by the Kenya Human Resources Policies and Procedures Manual for the Public Service 2016.

Nyaribo pointed out a case where nearly 150 employees earned more than two promotions in less than three years including a case where a female officer was promoted every year between 2016 to 2019 from job group K in March 2016 to job group L in 2017, job group N in October 2018 and to job group P in March 2019.

The report further revealed a case where an officer who was serving in job group K in March 2016 jumped to Group L in October 2017, to Group N in January 2018 and to job group P in November 2018. Another member of staff serving in job group J in 2016 was also illegally promoted to job group L in January 2021 and hurriedly to job group N in February 2021.

Governor Nyaribo told the  demoted employees to move to court if they were not satisfied with the verdict as he vowed not reverse the decision even if it means being voted out in August 2022 general election.

Affected employees have, however, dismissed the demotions and plans to recover the money as they vow to challenge the decision by the governor in court after the county public service board also disowned the promotions it effected. Nyaribo was supported by a section of the MCAs led by Bomwagamo MCA Charles Barongo who gave the move a thumps up.