- The County Public Service Board CEO defended the increase to 550 interns, citing a request from the Departments of Environment and Fisheries for an additional 200 interns.
- Concerns were raised about the budget for the interns and the monthly payments, with Ali saying the county was spending a wage bill of Sh11 million per month on the recruited interns.
The Mombasa County Assembly has initiated an inquiry into the recruitment of 550 interns, a number that far exceeds the initially advertised 300 positions.
The Labour and Public Service Administration Committee summoned County Public Service Board CEO Fadhili Ali to shed light on the process and raise concerns about the lack of public participation.
Ali defended the increase to 550 interns, citing a request from the Departments of Environment and Fisheries for an additional 200 interns.
"Instead of coming up with another advertisement for the new positions, we saw it better to add them according to the database of those who had applied because a new advertisement would have been expensive and time-consuming," he said.
The committee delved further into the qualifications of the recruited interns, discovering that out of the 550 selected, 144 held degrees, 145 had diplomas, and 261 possessed certificates.
Fadhili Makarani raised concern about the number of degree holders recruited saying according to the advertisement, the county required only 40 people with degree qualifications, while the report states 144 were recruited.
The diploma holders who were required were supposed to be 60, but 145 were recruited, and those with certificate qualifications were supposed to be 200, yet the ones recruited were 261.
The CEO said the numbers increased after they received the additional request.
However, more questions arose about the transparency of the process, with committee member Milka Moraa raising concerns about the allocation to Kisauni, which received fewer applicants despite having the highest number of wards.
"Why did Kisauni receive fewer applicants despite having the highest number of wards?" Moraa posed.
Despite these queries, Ali emphasised that the distribution of interns across subcounties was based on the number of applications received.
"The application was being done online, so we expected to receive more applications from people within the CBD than from other places," Ali said.
Concerns were raised about the budget for the interns and the monthly payments, with Ali saying the county was spending a wage bill of Sh11 million per month on the recruited interns.
Questions were also raised about some interns allegedly being absorbed into permanent positions.
While Ali denied any absorption, he acknowledged that 22 interns had been given contracts tied to the terms of county executive members.
The committee also directed its attention to the County Public Service Administration Chief Officer Justina Mwikya, seeking clarification on the human resource audit.
Mwikya said the verification process initiated by Governor Abdulswamad Nassir in 2022, aimed to weed out ghost workers and update employee database.
However, committee members expressed dissatisfaction with the internal audit process, questioning the accuracy of the figures presented.
Mwikya acknowledged the discrepancies and committed to preparing a new report.
The committee urged her to prioritise retired inspectorate officers in paying their dues and to ensure an accurate and comprehensive human resource audit report is presented.