Illegal promotions unearthed at Nyamira county – Weekly Citizen

The ongoing payroll cleaning of Nyamira county government staff has revealed shocking revelations that over 400 employees got their promotions illegally.
According to the preliminary Audit Report, the county government had lost millions of shillings due to the illegal promotions done by a syndicate in the system.
On top on the list of the beneficiaries of the illegal promotions are senior officers ranging from chief officers, directors, administration officers, procurement officers and section of junior staff who majority used their positions to influence the promotions .
Weekly Citizen further established that the middle class beneficiaries bribed up to a tune of Sh300,000 to be promoted from a junior job group to a senior job group jumping more than three job groups to the majority of the women promoted, they used sex to influence their promotions irrespective of being married or single.
According to the investigations carried by this newspaper, the illegal promotions commenced three years ago where the outgoing county public service board played a vital role in the irregular promotions after realising their term was not going to be renewed by governor Nyagarama.

Governor John Nyangarama

Confirming the illegal promotions, Nyamira county deputy governor Amos Nyaribo termed the payroll as rotten, since it had been messed up in all manner of ways.
Speaking to this writer in his office, Nyaribo confirmed that according to files which a team of experts from Nairobi has gone through, some employees were earning more than what reflected in their files.
A team of experts from Nairobi is currently camping in Nyamira county officers investigating the illegal recruitment and promotion, a factor which has caused panic and tension among the workers.
However, some of the employees whose files were verified accused one of the officers, Grace Agolla, whom they claimed was defending bribes so that she can protect their jobs.
Nevertheless, when this writer sought clarity from Agolla, she vowed not to respond to any allegations until she got instructions from her bosses authorising her to give any information.
Nyaribo promised to investigate the matter over bribes demands by the officer which were brought before him.
The head of the county public service Eric Onchana also confirmed of the illegal promotions adding already, the officers illegally promoted have been earning the salaries in their new scales from the last one year.
Onchana cited a case where one officer who was in job group (N) within one year was promoted to job group (S) sentiments which were also confirmed by the chief officer in charge of finance and planning Edward Ondigi.

Nyamira deputy governor Amos Nyaribo

The two officers separately confirmed that the departments which were leading in the illegal promotions were health, agriculture, roads and public works, public administration and managements, sports, culture, social and gender.
Deeper investigations carried by Weekly Citizen revealed that the illegal promotions were done when Governor Nyagarama was out of the country for nearly one year for special treatment.
By then, the head of the civil service, Ochanna was also locked out of office and Thomas Nyariki, the current chief officer in the department of water and environment was picked to act.
According to an impeccable source, a team from the departments, the county public service board and the human resource was secretly mooted to handle the illegal promotions.
The officers managing the payroll also had their hands greased before effecting the illegal promotions.
However, those promoted had to pay either through sex or cash, a confidential source confided in us.
Some employees who did not get the illegal promotions because they could not raise the bribes demanded, told us that every department was affected in the scandal.
The source further revealed that an officer in the government used the bribes demanded in putting up an economic empire in Nairobi which they know the location and how much money was spent to put it up.
Another source confessed bribing for the promotion because other workers from other departments were doing the same.
“If the government cracks the whip on illegal promotions, let me tell you that many people will be netted,” he said. However, some senior officers who are beneficiaries of the same promotions scandal led by Phillip Machuki said that their promotions were fair as they had been sanctioned by the county public service board which is in charge of promotions.
Machuki said CPSB has not disputed their promotions and questioned why some individuals were crying foul over their promotions which he said they were entitled to.
Machuki is a director in the department of health and services said he is prepared to defend his promotion even if it means moving to court.
Another officer who works in the human resource department, James Nyagechanga defended his promotion saying it was done rightly as it had been sanctioned by the board.
Efforts to get a comment from the outgoing CPSB chairman Peter Nyakundi were unsuccessful as his phones went unanswered.
At the same time, the deputy governor has dismissed claims that he also participated in the illegal recruitment exercise.
Nyaribo who talked to this writer in his office challenged those claiming so to table evidence so as to justify their allegation that he was part of the ring which was involved in the illegal business of irregular recruitment terming the allegations malicious .