Governors Under Fire for Tribal Hiring Bias in County Offices
Governors have been warned about the insufficient ethnic diversity within their workforces, as the Senate initiates an audit of county payrolls.
This action follows revelations that over 90 percent of employees in many county governments belong to a single ethnic group.
According to Section 7(2) of the National Cohesion and Integration (NCIC) Act of 2008, no government office should have more than 30 percent of its staff from one ethnic group.
Moreover, Section 66 of the County Governments Act of 2012 mandates that no more than 70 percent of county public service positions at any level can be filled by individuals from the dominant ethnic group.
Auditor-General Nancy Gathungu’s report for the fiscal year ending June 30, 2023, disclosed that in Bomet, 3,467 out of 3,566 employees (97 percent) belonged to the same ethnic community.
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This was followed by Nandi (96 percent), Elgeyo Marakwet (95 percent), and Nyandarua, where 2,264 of 2,373 employees came from a single dominant ethnic group.
The Senate’s National Cohesion, Equal Opportunity, and Regional Integration Committee has begun an investigation focusing on county executives and assemblies.
Committee chairperson and Marsabit Senator Mohamed Chute stated, “We have contacted all governors, county public service boards, and county assembly public service boards to provide details about their staff composition.”
He expressed concern that the workforce composition in the counties violated laws concerning people with disabilities, gender, and ethnic diversity.
Section 7 of the NCIC Act, 2015, forbids ethnic discrimination and obliges government agencies to foster ethnic diversity and equitable employment practices.
Governors Under Fire for Tribal Hiring Bias in County Offices
