Senator William Kisang has raised questions regarding human resource practices, payroll management and general staff administration within the Elgeyo Marakwet County’s Public Service Board.
While seeking a Statement from the Standing Committee on Devolution and Intergovernmental Relations, the legislator queried the rationale behind the frequent and unexplained transition of employees between permanent and contract terms, especially in instances where officers revert to previous positions after serving as County executive Committee Members (CECs) or Chief Officers (COs).
Senator Kisang tasked the Devolution Committee to address the House on how certain officers were promoted while bypassing other job groups and recruitment procedures, such as interviews.
He also raised concerns about the appointment of senior officers, particularly Chief Officers, without following due process.
“An account for the payment of special house allowance totalling Ksh 11,387,400 to 156 officers and an additional special salary amounting to Ksh 3,141,193.50 to 25 staff members over one year despite clear public service guidelines prohibiting such discretionary payments,” he stated.
Furthermore, the former Member of Parliament for Marakwet West Constituency urged the Senator Mohamed Abbas-led Committee to investigate reports of delayed or non-payment of salaries for various categories of county staff during the 2022/2023, 2023/2024, and 2024/2025 financial years.
He asked the committee to establish the causes of the delays and what measures had been taken to resolve them.
Senator Kisang also demanded an explanation as to why 11 employees had remained on probation longer than permitted by law, and why 7 officers beyond the official retirement age of 60 were still listed on the county payroll, since such practices violated established public service regulations.
