COUNTY EXECUTIVE OFFICERS GRILLED OVER THE ILLEGAL AND IRREGULAR PROCEDURES AND APPOINTMENTS.
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SIAYA, WEDNESDAY, 25TH OCTOBER, 2023
The Committee on General Oversight Chaired by The Speaker Hon. George Okode, in its earlier meetings with the County Executive Committee Members as guided Article 185(3) Of The Constitution of Kenya, 2010, tasked he County Executive Officers to respond to the following issues;
- The Director Internal Audit had his term in office expired yet He still undertakes official duties of the county government of Siaya.
- The County Executive is operating without An Audit Committee which is a Legal requisite for management of Public Resources as provided in the public finance management act, 2012, read together with the public finance management (county government) Regulations,2015, Regulation Number 167; and Kenya Gazette Notice No. 2692 of 15th April , 2016
- The County Executive and The County Public Service Board spent public resources towards recruitment and selection of persons for employment as Revenue Clerks yet the successful candidates have not been deployed to their working stations.
- The County Executive undertook a reshuffle of the County Chief Officers and has failed to notify The County Assembly. This hinders the oversight role on the newly assigned persons.
- Irregular appointment of an Officer to the position of Acting Chief Office for Tourism, Sports, Culture and Arts. This is in contravention of section 4 of the public appointment (county assembly’s approval) act 2017.
- The officer appointed as The Acting Chief Officer for Tourism, Sports, Culture and Arts do not meet the requisite qualifications for appointment. This contravenes provisions of the provisions of section 64(1) of the county government act, 2012.
The House Committee on General Oversight today invited the under listed Officers to answer to the above illegalities at the County Assembly Chambers
- The County Secretary
- The CECM Finance and Economic Planning
- The CECM Governance and Administration
- The Ag. Chief Officer Finance
- The Ag. CEO – County Public Service Board
- The County Director of Internal Audit
- The Ag. Chief Officer Tourism, Sport, Culture and Arts
The County Executive Committee Members in their responses to the mentioned illegal and irregular procedures, The County Secretary Mr. Ogutu confirmed the expiry of term of office of The Director Internal Audit and informed the House Committee of a request for extension that had been rejected by the County public service board.
In consultation with His team, The County Secretary COULD NOT give substantive reasons why they had not finalized the recruitment process whose advert was made on 13th December 2023.The County Public Service Board CEO Mr. Wilfred Nyagudi in addressing their operation without An Audit Committee, He informed the committee that the board was in the process of advertising the positions since the previous applicants did not meet the gender balance requirement.
The County Executive Committee Members failed to legally justify the appointment of the Ag. Chief Officer for Tourism, sports, culture and arts and could not table proof of His Qualification.
The House committee on General Oversight in its mandate and compliance with the law directed that;
The County Executive team to present a Report on their course of Action in addressing the Illegal operation of The Director Internal Audit, The illegal appointment of the Acting Chief Office for Tourism, Sports, Culture and Arts and also give a Report on the irregular appointment of Officer with no requisite qualifications.
The County Public Service Board CEO ought to have recruited the gender whose numbers met the threshold and immediately re-advertise with restriction to the gender not represented. The committee directed that the advert to be made and recruitment procedure initiated. The CEO Mr. Nyagudi to inform the House Committee of the progress in two weeks.
The committee further advised the County Public Service Board to deploy the successful candidates to their work stations and present evidence to the committee by end of business tomorrow Thursday 26th October 2023.
