From failing to appoint a deputy Governor to failing to employ County workers on a permanent basis! Nairobi Governor Mike Sonko has been severally accused of taking Nairobians for a ride following his way of ruling. He has lost more than 400 workers from City Hall in the last five months.
City Hall had 12,496 staff as at last July but this has dropped to 12,034 as per the latest count at the end of January — a reduction of 462.
“I can confirm that as at January 31, the county government had 12,034 employees who are on a wage bill of Ksh1.1 billion,” Acting county secretary and head of public service management Pauline Kahiga mentioned.
She further stated that City Hall is overstaffed with unskilled low-cadre workforce at the expense of skilled staff.
Kahiga told the county assembly Public Accounts Committee that the metropolitan had resolved to allow reduction of the employees through natural attrition.
County Public Service Board chief executive Meshack Guto disclosed that City Hall also faces a crisis of ageing staff whose performance is wanting.
“The county has an ageing staff; some of them are sick,” he remarked.
Guto added that the board had employed 1,200 more labourers, cleaners and inspectorate officers as at August 8, 2018, since it came into being five years ago.
Previous audit reports by PricewaterhouseCoopers warned of a bloated workforce but City Hall is still hiring.
The bloated workforce costs a monthly wage of Ksh1.1 billion.