Laikipia Governor Joshua Irungu has suspended the entire County Revenue Board following widespread allegations of bribes and demands for sexual favours from job seekers.
Irungu said that the allegations against the board were serious, further announcing that thorough investigations had commenced, urging any job seeker who had been subjected to unwarranted demands to come forward and make the claims to his office.
Speaking after handing over renewal of contract letters to 250 revenue collectors set to commence on December 1, 2024, at the Nanyuki county hall, the governor noted that in light of the allegations surrounding the recruitment process, he had decided to take the “decisive step of suspending the Laikipia County Revenue Board to facilitate thorough and transparent investigations into the claims of bribery and sexual harassment.”
“I call on anyone with pertinent information regarding these allegations to come forward, confident that their identity will be protected to ensure justice prevails and fairness will be upheld at all costs,” he said.
The governor added that his administration would ensure that fairness and integrity should guide every aspect of governance and would not tolerate any form of corruption or misconduct.
The move by the governor was in response to the allegations of bribery and sexual favours demands by some of the board members, with victims of the alleged extortion claiming that they were asked to pay Sh80,000 to secure the limited vacancies in the county.
The board had in September this year advertised 250 vacancies following the expiry of the one-year contract for the cohort hired in October last year. However, some of the revenue collectors whose contracts had expired were retained but became targets for sexual demands and bribes to remain in their positions.
More than 4,000 potential job seekers had applied for the few slots leading to high-level canvassing by some members of the board and other influential persons in the county government.
The matter had also been discussed at the Laikipia County Assembly, where the chair of Labour, Social Welfare, and Community Service Stephen Nderitu (Thingithu ward) tabled a motion to dissolve the entire board.
“To end corruption, impunity, and sexual harassment to innocent jobseekers, the entire board must go home,” Nderitu said at the floor of the assembly while moving the motion a week ago.
Nominated MCA Leila Hissein, while contributing the motion, said that even if only one board member was involved in the vice, it would only be fair to have the entire board sent packing to protect the integrity of the institution.
“It is sickening and regrettable that in our county, influential persons in government are preying on young girls and demanding sexual favours for a one-year contract job whose salary is below Sh20,000. We should not spare such sex pests,” Hissein said.