Garissa, February 21, 2018 KNA by Jacob Songok
Northeastern Regional Co-ordinator(RC) Mohamud Saleh yesterday gave chiefs from Garissa County a dressing down for allegedly abdicating their duties and responsibilities.
Saleh said that it has come to his attention that majority of the chiefs especially from the far flung region had abandoned their duty stations and moved to urban centers.
Saleh who was addressing the chiefs on the 3rd day of a 5 days training workshop organised by the regional human resource department said the region has a record 1,800 chiefs, the biggest number in the country, but has ‘nothing to show for it’.
“Chiefs are the image and the eye of the government at the grass root. In case something happens they must be the first to know. But how do you get this information first hand if you are perpetually absent from your duty station,” he posed.
The RC said that he will not hesitate to sack any administrator who fails to deliver as the government steps up war on Al-Shabaab menace and inter-clan conflicts brought about by competition over resources.
Making reference to some of the major attacks among them the Garissa university one where 148 people majority of them students were massacred in cold blood by Al-Shabaab militias, Saleh wondered how such terror attacks were planned and executed without the knowledge of the chiefs.
“This is unacceptable and this time round we are determined to sack any chief found to be complacent on his job. I want a detailed report on how we are dealing with Al-Shabaab and more so our youth who have been recruited by the terror group,” Saleh said.
“This is the year of action. If you fail in your duties count yourself jobless. I will personally sack you. We will not tolerate laxity among you (chiefs),” he added.
The administrator who insisted that most of the terror attacks in the region are led and commanded by the youths from the region, said chiefs should provide the list of all youths missing for over 6 months from their areas of jurisdiction for further investigation.
He advised the chiefs to carry themselves in a manner that would earn them respect in the communities they are serving.
“As civil servants at the grass root, how you dress, carry yourselves around will earn you respect among your people. They will feel comfortable and safe to share information with you. But when you resort to doing things irresponsibly then you lose public confidence,” he noted.
Saleh said more training will be organised for the chiefs and their assistants across the region in the coming months with the aim of ensuring that they carry out their duties and responsibilities in accordance with the new constitution.
“The new constitution has many provisions touching on your work. Many of our chiefs have not been trained on how to align their duties and responsibilities with the new constitution,” he said.
