By Anderson Ojwang
Academic panic and despair have descended on the County Government of Kisumu after the Public Service Board advertised the vacant positions of directors.
In what can be seen as an academic bombshell, most of the officers who had been angling for the vacant positions have no master’s degree and had been lobbying some of the top government officials to intervene and support their cause.
But the new regime led by Prof James Obondi Otieno has raised the bar high for the vacant positions of directors in the recent internal advert calling for applications.
Interestingly, some of the would-be applicants have loudly complained about the academic requirement of a master’s degree and have even contemplated challenging the advert in court.
The advert read in parts: “Pursuant to the Constitution of Kenya 2010 and the County Government Act No. 17 of 2012, the County Government of Kisumu invites applications from suitably qualified serving officers within the County Government of Kisumu to fill the following vacant internal positions on a promotion basis. Applications open only for serving Kisumu County Government staff.”
In total, the Public Service Board advertised for 16 vacant directorial positions in the county.
The requirements for appointment included, among others, a master’s degree and a certificate in a Strategic Leadership Development Programme lasting not less than six weeks from a recognized institution.
Tension has been high at the county government prosperity offices after allegations emerged that a senior government officer was bribed to intervene on behalf of some would-be applicants.
It is alleged the officer collected between Sh200,000 from the outgoing chief officers and directors to influence contract renewal.
Sources disclosed to Western Insight that the attempts failed to succeed after the board told Governor Anyang’ Nyong’o that an internal advert would yield the desired human resources required for the positions.
Nyong’o gave the board the green light to continue with the recruitment and ensure integrity and competence during the exercise.
Sources said some of the top government officers wanted to use Nyong’o to yield and support their scheme in order to cover their backs over the bribery claims.
Prof Otieno, when contacted, said their priority was to uphold Nyong’o’s legacy by recruiting qualified personnel to drive the agenda of the county.
“We want to be fair to all applicants. Our role is to look at the qualifications. I am convinced there are so many qualified and deserving staff who merit these positions,” he said.
He said they will adhere to the constitution and remain professional in delivering their duty.
The employees at the county are happy with the structures the new board has put in place and how they are turning around the work culture in the county.
“We are happy that promotions are now on merit and we can compete without any form of favouritism,” they said.
The move has witnessed a rush by some employees to enrol for master’s degrees and other courses.
