Nyandarua Governor Moses Kiarie Badilisha has said his administration inherited a huge burden of unpaid workers allowances from the previous two regimes of the County.
He said the pending workers’ allowances ballooned during Covid-19 pandemic when funds meant for frontline workers were diverted through questionable dealings.
Hitting back at the County Senator John Methu for using the allowance issue to incite the employees, the Governor said so far he has been able to pay 90 percent of the pending allowances his administration inherited.
Addressing a press conference at Ol Joroorok ATC Governor Kiarie accused the Senator of using the allowance issue to incite the workers.
“What we are dealing with are historical pending bills which cannot be cured or paid in one financial cycle, or through political interference and brinkmanship,” he told the Senator
He challenged Methu to be a serious defender of devolution, saying “those we charged with the responsibility to protect devolution only bombarded us with comical fairly-tales and photoshoots that mean nothing to the people.”
The Governor said residents expect Methu to be pushing for the conclusion of the County’s petitions on the Mau Mau road, Sasumwa water and the Aberdare that have been pending in the Senate.
“Other counties like Makueni, Kajiando, Turkana, Meru and Taita Taveta are leaping big in terms of own source of revenue because they were allowed to benefit from resources found in them through push by their senators while we (Nyandarua) are still waiting for our petitions to be discussed,” the Governor lamented.
The Governor was reacting to claim by Methu that sub county and ward administrators last got their allowance in September last year. The Senator vowed to fight for the rights of County employees.
“We commit to use all the necessary avenues to fight for the justice of the members of staff of the Nyandarua County Executive. Sub County administrators and Ward administrators last got their allowances in the month of September 2023,” the Senator said in a post in one of his social media handle on Thursday.
Methu said the County has received the total equitable share of Ksh 5.91 billion from the national government, with the last tranche of Ksh 480 million received on July 26, 2024.
“Having received the full budget, who gobbled staff allowances of up to 11 months?” the Senator asked.
Governor Kiarie said his administration cared about welfare of County employees adding that “one of the critical foundations of my Change Manifesto was, and remains, the welfare of staff who remain the most important cogs for the proper functioning of my government”.
He said since he came into office, over 100 staff members who had worked as casuals – some for over 20 years since the days of local authorities and governorship of his predecessors Daniel Waithaka and Francis Kimemia, had been put on permanent and pensionable terms.
“They are now enjoying full benefits, bringing to an end a discriminatory work environment of disfranchisement,” he said.
The Governor accused the Senator for voting against the Division of Revenue Bill that sought to increase county allocations and also failing to speak for the timely disbursement to counties o advance any meaningful debate for the people of Nyandarua at the national level.
