Nandi awards contracts to more than 1,300 casual workers

The county government has awarded three-year contracts to 1,359 casual workers.   

The workers signed the contracts on Wednesday.

“My administration has come to a decision to employ all workers who have been serving the county on casual basis. All 1,359 of them have now been absorbed into the payroll,” said Governor Stephen Sang. 

Many casuals said they were uncertain about their jobs since Mr Sang took office. The governor carried out an employee audit to weed out ghost workers. The exercise saw over 1,000 casuals suspended. 

“We have been trying to tame a bloated wage bill by weeding out ghost workers from the payroll. Our intention has been to ensure that the county receives the best services from qualified workers,” said Sang. 

Victim of politics

Local leaders, including Senator Samson Cherargey, have accused Sang of allowing interference into the work of the county public service board.

They claimed that the board was the victim of political players, who bring in workers they favour at the expense of the casuals who were sent home.

On Wednesday, Sang denied accusations of discriminating against workers employed during the previous regime. 

“My administration is keen on uniting the county. We are not against workers from the previous regime. The county was faced with a tough decision in taming a ballooning wage bill,” said Sang. 

The headcount revealed that the county had 3,300 workers. The previous regime had 2,600 workers.