- A recent report by the National Cohesion and Integration Commission shows that over 80% of employment in all the counties are dominated by only 10 tribes.
- Bomet topped the list with Kalenjin, which is the dominant tribe representing 97 per cent of staff employment.
Image: EZEKIEL AMING'A
Bomet Governor Hillary Barchok has admitted challenges in complying with the national recruitment policy on ethnic diversification.
Barchok who was appearing before a Senate watchdog committee said despite efforts being made by the counties to meet the requirement, they face strong resistance from local leaders and residents.
"Chair, I want to agree with you that this is an area that we are doing badly as counties…of course, beyond having diversity policy, we must have deliberate efforts as county CEOs,” he said.
“There are a lot of politics in it,” he added.
He cited the recent recruitment of a chief officer from another ethnic group something he noted attracted great resistance from the locals at one point MCAs being incited to reject his appointment when he appeared for vetting.
“I stood the ground and eventually he went through and sworn him in, this shows we have the will notwithstanding the challenges,” he said.
The governor had appeared before the County Public Accounts Committee (CPAC) chaired by Moses Kajwang to respond to audit queries raised by the Auditor General for the year ending June 2021.
The report states that a review of the personnel records revealed that the county had a total of 4317 employees on permanent and pensionable terms of which 4219 representing 98 per cent were members of one ethnic community in the county.
This, according to the Auditor is contrary to section 7 (1) and (2) of the National Cohesion and Integrity Act, 2018 hence a breach of law.
The Act provides that all public offices shall seek to represent the diversity of the people in the employment of staff and that no public institution shall have one third of its staff establishment from the same ethnic community
Barchok added that they have always encouraged people from across the country to apply for advertised positions adding that the ethnic composition will be corrected in the subsequent recruitments.
A recent report by the National Cohesion and Integration Commission (NCIC) shows that over 80 per cent of employment in all the counties are dominated by only 10 communities led by the Kalenjin, Kikuyu, Luhya and Luos, with 29 tribes making up for only 1 per cent of job recruitments.
Bomet topped the list with Kalenjin, which is the dominant tribe representing 97 per cent of staff employment.
Out of its total 3,357 employees, 3,268 are Kalenjins as those from Kisii community account for 26.
At the same time, the Committee raised issues with the stalled construction of the Bomet stadium.
The contract for the completion of the facility started by former Governor Isaac Rutto was entered into on June 13, 2018 and was to be completed in three years at a cost Sh257,498,105.
The works included completion of the main pavilion, completion of terraces and retaining walls, completion of the perimeter wall, ablution blocks and changing rooms, storm water draining works-external and internal drainage, chain link internal barrier fence, two steel gates and gatehouse, soft landscaping work, standby generator, floodlights, warm-up track, and main track carpeting.
A review by the Auditor General established that the project’s documents and physical verification in November 2021, revealed that the construction stalled with only 1.5 per cent of works completed.
The total payments to the contractor amounted to Sh14,013,380 as at June 30, 2021.
"Further, records provided for audit indicate that the stadium land LR.NO.307/308 belongs to Bomet University College. Management did not provide explanations for these anomalies,” reads the report.
Barchok, in his response, told the Committee that when a court ruling was issued on the ownership of the parcel of land, the county ceased the contract pending appeal.
"The project has since been taken over by the State Department of Youth Affairs and Arts for completion," he stated.
The governor revealed that following an inspection by the said officials, it emerged that it would be costly to complete the stadium as compared to building a new one.
Barchok told the senators the county has since acquired 15 acres of land for the national government to put up a new stadium.