The Kirinyaga County Assembly has approved all the five nominees to fill up the vacant positions in the County Public Service Board.
The Board whose tray is already full had only a chairman Kennedy Ngiabi who could not transact any business after the member’s tenure of office expired a year ago.
Those approved Thursday were Newton Njenga as the Secretary, Raymond Karinga, Dr Catherine Mwangi, Patrick Matu and Margret Kabui as members respectively.
The approval took place during a special sitting presided over by the Assembly Speaker Antony Gathumbi since the MCAs are on recess until February 8.
Tabling the approval motion, House Majority Leader Kamau Murango asked the members to pass it so that the new Board could start its work immediately after a whole year without one.
“As you contribute to this motion, bear in mind that County Employees who are on contract are jobless since there is no board to renew such contracts,” he said
The motion was later passed by the entire House unanimously after which the Speaker adjourned the sittings to February 8 when the recess comes to an end.
Speaking to the media later, Murango said roads in the county are in pathetic conditions since tractor drivers can’t work without their contracts being renewed
“Now that we have approved the names of a new Board, we expect the team to start its work right away by signing the renewal of contract letters for tractor and plant operators, ECD teachers who have been without salaries for the last five months and any other cadre of employees who work on contracts,” Murango said.
He said the contracts for the ECD teachers should be a priority since they have already resumed their duties after schools opened on Monday even without salaries.
The Assembly also urged the Board to address the plight of 72 medics who have been without salaries for over a year now as a matter of priority.
“As an Assembly we impress upon this Board to start working out on all outstanding issues which forced our medics to go on strike leaving our health facilities crippled in 2018. We expect the Board to come up with lasting solutions to these perennial problems so that they may never affect our county again,” Murango told the media.
The Assembly further urged other counties to emulate it for having recruited a senior Board member, the secretary from another county.
“Let all the counties hire some employees from other parts of the country since this is part of unifying Kenyans,” Murango observed.
Njenga was picked from Ndenderu in Kiambu county and was said to be knowledgeable in Labour and legal matters which affect workers.
By Irungu Mwangi
