Kilifi Governor Gideon Mung’aro has defied orders from the Kilifi Employment and Labour Relations Court not to jeopardize the working conditions of county employees who sued his administration for not employing them on permanent and pensionable terms.
It has been established that 279 employees have not received their salaries for the past five months, despite a court directive that the county must keep paying until the case is concluded.
The 279 individuals claim that they have worked for 10 years at the county and thus qualify to be considered for permanent employment.
The court ordered the county not to terminate the workers’ contracts and further not to advertise their positions.
The governor, the county secretary, and county attorney Henry Lungoje have defied the orders, and the employees feel frustrated by the move.
More than 40 of the employees have had their houses locked over non-payment of rent; some have had their children kicked out of school over arrears, while others have complained of struggling to put food on the table.
One of the employees, who has lost hope completely, revealed to this writer that the governor and other senior officers claim to have sealed the fate of the court case through the presiding judge.
The support staff wants it known that the governor has already disobeyed court orders, despite the case’s scheduled ruling for December 16, 2024.
When he took over in 2022, the governor gave the support staff a one-year contract that is non-renewable and cut their salaries down to Kshs. 16,000.
The governor is battling various cases with workers attached to the county, with his critics saying he is too focused on rendering people unemployed.
In August this year, approximately 500 casual workers in Kilifi County’s Health and Sanitation Department raised concerns over the county government’s decision to outsource their services.
The workers feared that the move could lead to job losses, putting their livelihoods in jeopardy.
The county administration has indicated plans to contract an external company to manage cleaning services in local health facilities.
Many casual workers were uncertain about their future as a result of this decision, with some fearing layoffs if the outsourcing plan moves forward.
The workers’ representatives revealed their dismay over a communication from the County Chief Officer for Health Services and Sanitation, Dr. David Mulwa.
The letter, addressed to all medical superintendents in Kilifi North, Magarini, and Malindi sub-counties, outlined the county’s intent to outsource cleaning services.
The representatives claimed that medical superintendents had already told them that their current relationships with hospital management boards would end when they transitioned to the contracted company.
The workers asserted that the announcement’s stress resulted in tragic consequences.
They claimed that shortly after the chief officer’s letter on August 6, 2024, one of their colleagues committed suicide.
Adding to their grievances, the casual workers pointed out that, “We are often overlooked in internal job advertisements, despite possessing the necessary academic qualifications for permanent positions within the county government,” another worker stated.
Dr. Mulwa explained that Jikram Investments Limited had won the contract to provide cleaning services through a competitive bidding process.
He argued that outsourcing these services would allow the department to focus more effectively on its core responsibilities. One of the senior county officers is associated with the company.
