Bungoma village administrators urged to serve with diligence

Over 200 village administrators in Bungoma County have successfully completed a three-week training that sought to equip them with requisite skills to serve the people bringing to an end a three-year wait for them to assume office.

Drawn from across all the nine sub counties, the 236 administrators are expected to bring with them a fresh boost that will see the strengthening of the county's administrative function at the grassroots.

Speaking during the administrators’’ pass-out parade, Bungoma Governor Wycliffe Wangamati congratulated them for having emerged the best out of over 9,000 who applied for the positions.

"Every day, when you wake up, thank God for the opportunity to serve the people of Bungoma," he told them while urging them to maintain discipline and servanthood while in service.

Mr Wangamati had earlier on lashed out at residents who are fond of going to courts to stop his development plans. He also faulted the move by courts to stop the assumption of office by the village administrators.

Court cases

"Bungoma County is at threat if her leaders will continue to abuse the courts to fight progress and development," he said.

The governor had expressed disappointment at the court order that had been issued two weeks ago stopping the village administrators from assuming office.

"Any leader who fights the development agenda of this county needs to understand that it is not me who stands to lose but the very people of Bungoma [whom] they claim to speak for," said the governor.

The Bungoma labour court had stopped the 236 newly recruited village administrators from assuming office until the case filed by 29 petitioners is heard and determined.

Justice J. W Keli had issued temporarily orders barring the county from deploying the newly employed administrators to their respective areas.

Through lawyer Bryan Khaemba, 29 petitioners sued the Bungoma County Service Board, saying the recruitment process was not fair.

"Due process was not followed when recruiting the village administrators'' claimed Mr Khaemba.

Judge Keli has given the service board 14 days to file their response within seven days of service.

Inter partes hearing of will be on December 7.

However, the court orders did not stop the village administrators from going on with training.

Last year, civil society groups went to court to stop the recruitment of the 236 village administrators, challenging its legality.

But the Labour court sitting in Bungoma gave Governor Wangamati the go ahead to recruit the administrators.

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