The Assembly of Murang’a on Tuesday called on the County Public Service Board to fast-track hiring of 201 officers to fill slots that have fallen vacant over time.
A report presented by Kagundu-ini MCA, Samson Mukora, revealed that the positions became vacant through natural attrition.
Mukora emphasized that the staffing gaps have severely strained various county departments, hampering the delivery of essential services.
“There are many employees who retired or passed on, or left for other reasons and used to provide essential services in various county departments, but their replacements have not been made. This has affected service delivery,” he said.
The MCA pointed out that the health and Early Childhood Development Education (ECDE) departments have been the worst hit, with professionals in these areas being overburdened by the workload.
He cited the example of Ndakaini dispensary’s maternity unit, which only operates during the day due to a lack of staff.
“There is a shortage of nurses and clinical officers in various health facilities, an example is the maternity unit in Ndakaini dispensary which only offers services during the day because of this staffing shortage,” he stated.
To avoid such gaps in the future, Mukora urged the County Public Service Board to formulate a replacement policy within 90 days to ensure that when employees retire, resign, or pass away, their positions are promptly filled.
“A Replacement policy will ensure that when an employee dies or retires, there is a clear procedure of replacing them, ensuring continuous and efficient service delivery,” he noted.
On his part, Kangema MCA Moses Muchiri called for the removal of age restrictions in the hiring process and suggested that, where appropriate, the next of kin of a retired or deceased employee should be considered for the vacant position if they meet the qualifications.
“Age is a natural factor and nobody should be denied opportunity because of age and yet they are qualified,” Muchiri said.
He added, “The Public Service Board should also consider developing a mechanism where if an employee exits due to death or ill health, their position could be considered for a transfer to a qualified next of kin,”.
Muchiri also stressed the importance of employing qualified personnel and giving priority to departments that offer essential services when hiring workers to fill the 201 vacancies.
By Bernard Munyao and Anjilwa Francis
