Marsabit governor battles skewed employment claims as he starts second term

Marsabit Governor Mohamud Ali

Marsabit Governor Mohamud Ali (centre)is presented with the oath of office by Justice Edward Mureithi as his wife-Alamittu Jattani cheers on at Marsabit Stadium on August 25 ,2022.

Photo credit: Jacob Walter I Nation Media Group

Marsabit County Governor Mohamud Ali took the oath of office for a second term amid cries that his first term was marred by flagrant ethnic bias and skewed county staff hiring.

Among the key priorities he outlined in his inauguration speech was redoubling his efforts to overcome divisions and antagonism.

"Beginning today, I commit, first and foremost, to focus on our most important challenges. The challenge of emerging from conflicts. We should emerge more united and stronger than ever,” Mr Ali said.

He added that he would recommit himself to social cohesion and peaceful coexistence.

He assured residents that the challenge of flagrant ethnic bias and skewed county staff hiring would be a thing of the past.

He pledged to form “a more perfect and representative county government and governance structures, where every person has opportunity and access to the service that he deserves and that which our Constitution envisages”.

The question of ethnic balance and imbalance arose whenever inter-ethnic conflicts arose in his first term in office.

Barely a day into office, Governor Ali is already facing a push from members of minority communities to ensure balanced appointments and representation in his administration.

Residents are eagerly waiting to see how Governor Ali would treat their community, said Ibrahim Abdullahi Ali, from Dabel location.

He alleged that in Governor Ali’s first term, the Sakuye community was pushed to the periphery with no developmental projects initiated in the area.

He also lamented that in a community of over 20,000, only one person was appointed chief officer.

He was optimistic that the county boss would give special consideration to minority communities that felt neglected.

“For the last five years, we have felt left out by the county government in terms of job recruitments, development projects, and absolute representation as the other communities in Marsabit County,” Mr Ali said.

Similar sentiments were expressed by members of the El Molo and Daasanach communities.

Marsabit was cited as one of the counties where there was blatant ethnic-based hiring in violation of the constitutional requirements.

Audit reports for the 2017-18 financial year revealed that the hiring of workers in 12 counties favoured dominant communities.

Ethnic imbalance in county government recruitment has become a major concern since the inception of devolution.

Even the National Cohesion and Integration Commission (NCIC) was blamed, with critics saying it was not doing enough to end bias in the region.

The Constitution stipulates that appointments in the county government follow the County Government Act of 2012.

Recruitment is also guided by the values and principles of public service as spelled out in Article 232 of the Constitution.

The Constitution also requires that those appointed have the necessary skills, knowledge and attitude to deliver efficient and effective services.

State agencies should also ensure that at least 30 percent of entry-level posts are filled by candidates who are not from the dominant ethnic communities.

Moreover, under Section 65 of the County Governments Act, County Public Service Boards must ensure that 30 percent of vacant entry-level posts are filled by candidates from outside the dominant ethnic communities.

The audit reports also revealed that several counties lacked a clear policy framework for hiring staff, with officials working in an acting capacity for too long.