A few hours after six members of the Bomet County Executive Committee (CEC) who were grouped by the county assembly sought and obtained injunctions, Governor Hillary Barchok reorganized his cabinet.
Dr. Barchok has reduced the departments from 10 to seven, collapsing in what is clearly meant to cure a quorum problem in the Cabinet.
Following the dismissal of the six CECs by the assembly a week ago, the county had only four CECs whose threshold was below what is required to conduct business transactions.
ILLEGAL
But in response, the CECs through their lawyer Peter Wanyama said the movement to merge departments was illegal and should be reversed.
“What the governor has done in the reorganization of the government is illegal and unconstitutional, since such reorganization requires a public participation process and a concurrence [of] the county assembly,” Wanyama told the Nation on Thursday morning.
The labor court judge Bryam Ongaya, sitting in Nairobi on Wednesday, issued provisional orders prohibiting the governor and the county assembly and removing petitioners from office, which interferes with their contract, terms and benefits.
The court also prohibited Dr. Barchok from nominating or appointing any person to fill the positions that petitioners have in the county, and the county assembly is also prevented from vetoing nominees for the positions.
Hansard
Nairobi’s lawyer, Peter Wanyama, on behalf of the CECs, also obtained orders that forced the county president, Shadrack Rotich, to provide the petitioners with Hansard’s proceedings of August 21, 2019, when the MCAs voted to withdraw them from position.
In his last move, Governor Barchok has merged the Department of Education with the Department of Social Services and Sports, while Lands and Housing has merged with Urban Management, Water and Environment.
The Department of Administration, Public Service and Information, Communication Technology, which was domiciled in the governor’s office, has been eliminated in the restructured system.
SEVEN DEPARTMENTS
“The new executive structure will now have seven departments as main service delivery units. The changes are intended to ensure that there is an effective and efficient provision of services for the people of Bomet, ”said a statement issued by the Director of Communications, Ezra Kirui.
In the changes, Andrew Sigei, the CEC in charge of Finance and Economic Planning, will also act on the list of Roads, Public Works and Transportation.
Dr. Joseph Sitonik, the CEC in charge of medical services and public health, will also be in charge of agriculture, livestock and cooperatives.
Ms. Juliana Yegon is responsible for the expanded Education, Social Services and Sports file and will also act in the Land, Housing and Urban Management, Water and Environment file.
The newly named CCA of Commerce, Energy, Tourism and Investment, Juliana Chepkuto, was not affected by the changes that take effect immediately.
VETTING
Dr. Barchok had previously expressed intentions to accelerate the process of presenting other nominees for the assembly to examine so that the Cabinet had a forum in a short period of time, but the movement has been struck by court orders obtained. for the CEC fighting. .
“We have no quorum, since we require more than six members to sit down, but we will accelerate the remaining process to fill the vacant positions. We will trace the way forward with the assembly leadership, ”said Dr. Barchok at that time.
It will now take Dr. Barchok more time to fill the vacant posts of the CEC following court orders.