Standoff at Busia County Assembly over claims corruption claims

Former Prime Minister Raila Odinga addressing Busia County assembly on March 18, 2015. There was A standoff at Busia county assembly on Monday morning for hours following a scuffle between the county assembly sergeant at-arms James Lwanyoni and some staff. (PHOTO: COURTESY) 

There was standoff at Busia county assembly on Monday morning for hours following a scuffle between the county assembly sergeant at-arms James Lwanyoni and some staff.

Drama started when the sergent-at-arms tried to confiscate equipment from a KTN cameraman who had gone to cover protests of  over 60 county assembly staff who had been barred from accessing the assembly premises on the basis that they were seconded to the executive.

His move angered the officer who jeered him down prompting his to engage physically with some of the officers who were to issue a statement over the excess staff  stalemate at the assembly.

The officer who was attacked by the sergent at-arms reported the matter to Busia police station.
Led by Joachim Atenya, the officers accused the county assembly service board of nepotism and corruption during the staff recruitment that saw over 60 staff recruited in excess of the positions advertised in the dailies.

“They clearly breached employment guidelines with some staff being form four leavers with higher salaries than graduates yet they did not apply or get shortlisted and some of them being relatives of service board members or those who bribed to be employed,” said Atenya.

He added “They are now sacrificing us for secondment to the executive yet no clear procedures were followed though SRC recommended staff rationalisation and as you can see those unqualified are being retained while we are being posted nowhere.”

They also blamed the county assembly administration for giving mortgages through  back door with some officers claiming records indicate they received the mortgage yet they have not.

“Some of our colleagues have just discovered that they got the mortgage funds yet they have never applied nor received and if you don’t have a god father you are told to part with 10 percent of the cash you are to receive,” Sandra Wakuloba lamented.

The officers have vowed not to leave the assembly and appealed to the Ethics and Anti Corruption Commission to come in and reign in on the mess at the assembly.

In a rejoinder Busia county assembly speaker Benard Wamalwa dismissed the allegations and said the secondment was a normal transfer and that officers should follow instructions given.

For over three years somplaints of overemployment of staff at the assembly have been a thorny issue with several assembly committees giving proposals that have never seen the light despite SRC’s deadline on staff rationalization collapsing.