Services at the Ugunja County government offices have ground to a halt following the disconnection of power due to unpaid bills.
According to workers at the office, they have been forced to operate under difficult circumstances following the disconnection two weeks ago over a Sh.18,000 outstanding bill.
Speaking to the Kenya News Agency on Tuesday, workers who chose to remain anonymous for fear of retribution by their bosses said they have to rely on cyber cafes to perform crucial tasks and even photocopy sensitive documents.
They lamented that efforts to have their seniors sort out the matter has been futile, with the seniors equally pointing a finger at the county headquarters.
“Ugunja sub-county mints millions for the county government. The toll stations along the Kisumu-Busia highway and the markets collect thousands of shillings daily and I cannot understand why a mere Sh.18, 000 bill can lead to the disconnection of power in the offices,” wondered a revenue collector.
A source at the county headquarters said all the financial matters were being handled by the executive at the county headquarters and the sub counties are not issued with any cash to pay bills or procure services.
“There is nothing that the staff at the sub-counties can do as everything has been centralised at the headquarters,” said a dejected staff, adding that the field staff will have to wait for settlement of the bills, no matter how long it takes.
Contacted, Siaya County Director of Communications, Jerry Williams Ochieng could neither confirm nor deny the disconnection of power in their Ugunja offices.
By Philip Onyango
