Ngilu promises to clear workers' salary arrears during protests

Kitui county workers on Wednesday took to the streets of Kitui town in their numbers in protest against delayed salaries.

The workers said they have not been paid for the past three months and are fed up with the county leadership. Governor Charity Ngilu later promised to clear the pay arrears and blamed the workers' tribulations on the budget stalemate. 

The protestors also alleged pilferage of public funds as they denounced the leaders and appealed to DPP Nordin Haji to step in and save the county coffers from arbitrary plunder.

And to show their dissatisfaction with Governor Ngilu's administration, they derided the county slogan, 'Kitui Mbee Nzei' ( Kitui forward ever), instead holding placards reading, 'Kitui Nzaa Nzei' (Kitui the epicentre of hunger).

Some placards read: "DPP save Kitui” and “County workers will vote you out”. Yet another read: “No promotion, no employment, No confirmation and No re-designation, No work !!!!!!!”.  

The workers assembled for the peaceful march at Kitui town stadium. They moved and chanted on the streets in the town, disrupting transport and bringing businesses to a standstill as traders and shoppers moved out to catch a glimpse of them.

The demonstration was led by secretary of the Kitui branch of the Union of Kenya Civil Servants Benjamin Munyalo, Kitui Kenya Union of Nurses secretary Newton Kimanzi and branch chairman of the Kitui County Government Workers Union Stephen Kitheka.

Kitheka said they had suffered a lot because of the politicisation of the salary issue and demanded the workers be paid immediately. He termed it sad that even Kitui people have been denied services.

Daisy Muli, the branch secretary of the Kitui County Government Workers Union, urged Governor Ngilu to use her ingenuity and get money to pay the workers.

"Our employer is the Kitui governor and she must get money from wherever she will get it to pay our salaries today,” she said.

However, orderlies at the Office of the Governor blocked the protesters from accessing the compound. The demonstrators then made a U-turn and headed for the Kitui Agricultural Training Centre where Ngilu was said to be attending a meeting.

The last pay cheques for the workers came at the end of June. For the better part of September, most of them have been boycotting work. They only resurfaced on Wednesday to join their colleagues in the march.

The delays had been partly attributed to the 2020-21 budget stalemate between the governor and the county assembly. Governor Ngilu had failed to ascent to the budget passed by the MCAs on June 30 saying it was illegally altered.

And without a budget in place, her hands have remained tied. Even development programmes have suffered.

Addressing the protesting workers at the agricultural centre, Ngilu, who was in company of assembly leaders led by speaker George Ndotto, disclosed that the meeting had managed to break the budget stalemate.

“We negotiated and agreed. You are going to get your unpaid salaries immediately the Kitui assembly approves the budget Thursday. I am however happy with the pressure you have put on us so we can do things right,” Ngilu told the workers.

Assembly Budget and Appropriations committee chairman Boniface Kilaa confirmed that all the contentious 2020-21 budget issues were resolved. 

He said he would present the amendments arising from the meeting to the assembly for debate and ratification on Thursday. “Once that is done and the Appropriation Bill is passed and assented to by the governor, the county can access funds to pay salaries and other obligations,” Kilaa said.

Ngilu's administration had also lacked a public service board after the assembly rejected the nominees she presented early this year. On Wednesday, however, she promised to present "highly qualified names" to the assembly on Thursday.

The board once put in place is expected to address the issues of promotions, job redesignation and confirmation — some of the issues the protesting workers had raised.