Ward admins in Elgeyo Marakwet to be reshuffled after MCAs passed motion

The Elgeyo Marakwet County Assembly has passed a motion that would see all 20 ward administrators in the county transferred outside their present areas of jurisdiction.

MCAs unanimously adopted the motion sponsored by Emsoo Ward Representative Christopher Cheboiboch, noting that the targeted officers have overstayed at their stations and resulted in poor service.

“This motion is timely, given that the Kenya Kwanza government wants to spur economic growth in the country through the ‘bottom-up’ model. Thus there should be unmatched dedication to work by the administrators at the ward levels,” Mr Cheboiboch said when he moved the motion.

He said that because they live and work in their wards, some of the administrators were accused of allowing their individual work to precede services to the public.

Unspecified action

Assembly Speaker Philemon Sabulei told Nation.Africa on Wednesday that the executive has 30 days to make the transfers or MCAs will take unspecified action against the officers.

Mr Sabulei said there was a general feeling in the county that the officers were lethargic in discharging their mandate because they have been in the same stations for a decade.

“There is a need to reinvigorate service delivery at the grassroots, which are the basic units of devolution that informed members on the need to sanction the transfer of the ward admins,” he said. 

“In the previous assembly, the same motion was passed, but the executive then failed to act on it.”

He said MCAs resolved that the County Executive Committee member for Public Service should prioritise the transfer of ward administrators.

“We need efficient and effective delivery of service and since the assembly represents the people, they are discharging their mandate,” Mr Sabulei said. 

“Local residents had petitioned the assembly to act on the ward admins and other public servants who do not adhere to public service delivery ethics.”

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