Mombasa executives’ exit leaves county in limbo
Former Mombasa transport executive, Mr Tawfiq Balala. He is one of the county executives who have resigned.
The Mombasa government is in limbo following the exit of some members of the County Executive Committee (CEC), forcing remaining ones to oversee more than two dockets.
Of the 10 departments, Water, Sanitation and Natural Resources, Youth Gender and Sport, and Education are led by acting executives.
Some of the executives left for personal reasons while others joined politics.
The Transport and Lands docket was headed by Taufiq Balala, who resigned and left Chief Officer Albert Keno in charge.
Chief officers overseeing their departments are Pauline Oginga (Health), John Musuva (Education) and Anwar Ahmed (ICT).
Former Education executive Dr Seth Odongo handed in his resignation letter in February to join politics.
He is vying for the Migori governor’s seat.
“I wish to tender my resignation letter in conformity with the legal requirement that anyone seeking to contest any elective political position must resign by February, 9, 2022,” read the letter.
Dr Odongo had led various departments, including the Devolution and Public Service, Education, ICT and Health, some in an acting capacity.
The other executive who resigned to join politics was Youth Gender and Sports chief officer Innocent Mugabe, who is vying for Likuyani MP.
The department is now headed by an acting chief officer.
But County Secretary Joab Tumbo has rejected claims that county departments are being run by chief officers.
“A chief officer cannot run a department. [For those] departments that do not have ministers, the governor has appointed acting ones from those already in office. If a CEC is appointed now he/she will be required to be vetted, which will take almost four months,” he said.
But there are other departments that are still being led by substantive executives, including Trade, Tourism and Investment, Environment, Waste Management and Energy, Finance and Economic Planning, Lands, Housing and Planning, and Agriculture, Fisheries, Livestock and Cooperatives.
Meanwhile, county employees are in the dark on who to speak to about their contracts following the exit of the CECs.
Some said five months had passed since their contracts expired.
“Once the CEC exits the office, he is supposed to hand over the employees of the said department to the person in charge for contract renewal,” said a county employee, who declined to be named.
“But that has not happened. There is tribal politics whereby some contracts are renewed while others are not.”
Another concern they have raised was late payment of their salaries.
"At the moment, we have not received the February/March salaries. The January one we were paid in mid-February while the October/November/December salaries we received in January,” said another employee.
In February, Mr Tumbo sent a memo to all staff, indicating there would be a delay in paying January salaries.
“I hereby wish to inform all staff of the delay of payment of January 2022 salaries due to unavoidable circumstances. The government is in the process of ensuring that the salaries shall be paid by February 18, 2022. Our Finance department is however working closely with the National Treasury to ensure that the matter is resolved,” read the memo.
Mr Tumbo has said that everyone was paid their full salaries.
