Wamuzi News Ke
A very tense confrontation took place at the Nyamira County Headquarters on Monday, December 15, as the Members of the County Assembly and the county staff went up to the governor’s offices to claim the payment of the long-overdue salaries that had been due for quite some time.
This forced a complete halt of administrative activities and revived political tensions that had just a couple of weeks before been caused by the failed impeachment of the county governor.
The protest, which included loud demonstrations, occupation of key administrative areas, and a meeting with Governor Amos Nyaribo that was forced, almost entirely stopped the functioning of the county and made the residents and the stakeholders very worried about the escalation of the crisis.
As per the reports getting multiplied from inside the County Headquarters and eyewitness accounts, the group of angry ward representatives and civil servants first went to the office of the Chief Officer asking for the reason for the constant salary delays, but the official was not there.
Their exacerbation grew, and they continued to the governor’s office, where they were going to disable the normal activities until they got to speak to somebody about their complaints.
The huge protest has barely occurred two weeks after Governor Nyaribo successfully fought off an impeachment motion at the Senate, where senators ruled that there was a procedural objection and thus the motion could not go on.
The impeachment had claimed the governor to be guilty of committing illegal appointments, financial mismanagement, abuse of office, and not fulfilling constitutional duties with regard to county governance. Governor Nyaribo had firmly denied all accusations, calling them politically motivated.
On the other hand, county staff members and MCAs clearly stated that financial strife and the delay of their salaries were the main reasons for their protest.
A number of county employees revealed that they had been without a salary for months and called it an impossible situation that had a drastic impact on their livelihoods.
The ward representatives who were part of the protests shouted that all funds made available for salaries were too little, saying that the morale among the workers and the quality of service in the county are being ruined by the slow payments that have become a chronic thing.
Taking over the governor’s office signified a deeper underlying issue in the governance of the region and carried the potential of further aggravating already existing political tensions of the impeachment drama.
The people supporting Nyaribo had a small victory when the Senate granted him reprieve from impeachment, but the critics still argue that the refusal to address the long-standing issues in the administration—especially in the case of salary arrears—only reduces his credibility as a leader.
A comment request directed to Governor Nyaribo’s office on Monday met with a restricted response; however, it was learned from sources that were close to the county executive that negotiations were taking place to bring about a solution to the crisis.
Reports say that local leaders are mobilizing the County Treasury and the national government for urgent interventions to make the pending funds available and prevent further disruptions.
The police and the county’s security forces were on standby, but at the same time, they were very discreet, taking a step back to observe rather than to get into a confrontation with the protesters.
This tactical position is part of the attempt to calm the situation without having to deal with violent clashes; however, some residents of the county were worried that the tensions might grow if no quick measures are taken.
