The Kirinyaga County government will not recall the sacked 370 medical workers as demanded by the workers’ union because they were procedurally dismissed.
Governor Anne Waiguru while dismissing the calls by MCAs and the local branch of Kenya Civil Servants Union, instead said she has requested the national government to recruit new medics and post them to the County since the County has no County Service Board.
Through its county Secretary General, Paul Ndungu, the Union had appealed to Waiguru to recall the sacked medics citing their long experience while some were approaching retirement when they were fired after an industrial action last year.
Waiguru said she had forwarded names of her nominees for the Public Service Board to the County Assembly but the MCAs declined to process the names.
“Without a Public Service Board to recruit the required medics, then my government is left with no option other than to seek for the intervention of the national government so that our people would not continue suffering more so at this point and time when we have to fight against the coronavirus,”she explained.
The governor said she was optimistic sooner than later those recruited will be posted by the national government to render services in the county.
Waiguru spoke to the media at her Kagio town residence after a tour of the area markets to find out if the traders were observing the one-meter social distance as directed by the ministry of health as a measure to stop the spread of the killer virus.
She said the county has set a 14-bed isolation Ward at the Kerugoya referral hospital and six schools just in case of a coronavirus eventuality.
Accompanied by six MCAs, Waiguru said this was not the time for politicking since all the efforts were being directed on how to fight the spread of the corona disease, which has continued to claim hundreds of lives even in the so-called first world like USA, United Kingdom and China.
She said in an attempt to ensure the one-meter social distancing was maintained some 300 traders had been shifted from the main Kagio market to an open ground at a local secondary school ground.
Waiguru added that some 200 more had been moved to the large parking bays within Kagio town where they will continue to conduct their business until otherwise.
The MCAs present were Maurine Muthoni, Njeri Mwaniki, Kega Kariuki all (nominated) Antony Munene of Karumandi, Gitari wa Milka(Kangai) and Patrick Comba of Kabare .
Njeri when asked if she had changed camps since she was among those who had signed a petition to have Waiguru impeached over alleged gross misconduct and abuse of office , retorted that her business was to support the governor and the Head of State to achieve the Big Four Agenda.
The petition had been signed by 30 out of the 33 MCAs when the notice of the motion to impeach Waiguru was brought to the floor of the Assembly nine days ago.
The motion which was due for debate this Wednesday was stopped by a temporary court order granted by Justice Weldon Korrir of the High Court in Nairobi over the corona disease.
The matter will be mentioned on May 4 while the assembly that has since proceeded on recess and will reconvene coincidentally on the same date.
While reacting to the impeachment move Wa-Milka who is the Assembly Chief Whip warned his colleagues of dire consequences for going against the Jubilee party through which they were either elected or nominated.
“Once a woman has been married by a man, she has to toe the family line or quit from such a marriage and this should apply to those MCAs who are seeking to dislodge Waiguru from power,” he said.
The county has been in the news since May 1 and continues to dominate the news headlines with accusations and counter accusations which are not likely to end soon given the pending court battles.
By Irungu Mwangi
Waiguru Rules Out Recall of Sacked Kirinyaga Health Workers
