Mess persists at Vihiga county health payroll – Weekly Citizen

All is not well at Vihiga county payroll and director human resource offices as workers decry illegal omission and deduction of their salaries by corrupt officers out to fleece the innocent workers.
Several county staff have raised complaints over their missing salaries despite receiving their payslips while others have decried over illegal deduction of their allowances without proper explanations.
Last week, Vihiga county health workers led by their Kenya Union of Nurses Vihiga chapter leaders raised alarm over omission of salaries of some of the health staff and illegal deduction of allowances.

Zadock Miheso

The nurses leaders led by Zadock Miheso lamented that there are a number of health staff who have not received their salaries amounting to Sh300,00 after they received empty payslips while others have their salaries deducted.
It is not only the health sector that is affected but it seems the whole departments are affected and have no avenue to raise their complaints. Recently, Vihiga county secretary Francis Ominde shocked the assembly public service committee led by Cladys Analo when he said he has also been a victim of getting empty payslip.

Francis Ominde

Ominde who appeared before the committee to explain why he is not in office and yet he is still the county secretary said at times he receives blank payslips and wondered who has been pocketing his salary.
The assembly which noted the mess with shock promised to make followup and ensure the culprits in the payroll and the office of director human resource led by Millicent Madara are held responsible.
Madara, acting county secretary Philip Gavuna and county minister public service board were summoned to assembly but ignored the summon for fear of being grilled. Only county legal officer Geofrey Sore appeared before the assembly public service committee.
Sore who has always been a yes man of Governor Wilber Ottichilo has changed tune and styled up after he admitted that the executive is breaking laws contrary to the penal codes.
Sore who has started sensing danger on the consequences that may be instituted against the executive over willful failure by executive to obey law is now telling the truth.
He admitted that Gavuna was illegally acting as county secretary and Ominde was illegally barred from resuming office something that may attract grave repercussions on the governor for willful failure to obey the law.
Most of the accusing fingers are pointed at the Madara whose competence to manage the county human resource department where ghost workers fleece count confers, is being questioned by the assembly.
Vihiga county nurses led by their Kenya Union of Nurses Vihiga chapter have threatened to kick Madara out of office if she fails to rectify the mess on their payslips.
Nurses who spoke to the press said that their allowances had been deducted from their June salaries without being given good reasons.
The nurses who have threatened to strike across the county to paralyse health services accused Madara of deducting Sh5,000 from their salaries.
They want the county minister of health Amos Kutwa to order her to “rectify the mess and give us our money back before we kick her out of office”.
The nurses accused Madara of trying to sabotage the efforts by Ottichilo of improving the health sector in the county.
They said Ottichilo has struggled to improve health services in the county by employing health staff, promoting many and equipping most of the health facilities and said they will not allow one person to come and frustrate the efforts being made by governor to improve health sector.
The nurses said they have written protest letters to demand their money back. They wondered where Madara obtained authority to deduct the nurses’ pay and where she was remitting the money she is deducting from the nurses’ pay.