Curb county negligence

The counties need funds to cover their recurrent expenditures but are needlessly losing millions of shillings in mismanagement and poor decision-making. While corruption and outright theft result in huge losses, the flawed sacking of some employees and officials is also costing huge sums of money in penalties.

County governments have been ordered to pay millions of shillings in compensation for unfair dismissals. Courts have faulted rushed disciplinary processes lacking evidence and the failure to give the affected employees fair hearings.

Recent judgments in three counties have resulted in awards amounting to Sh12.7 million to only five former county employees, whose dismissals were found to have been unfair. In other cases, courts have ordered reinstatements, restoration of benefits and payment of withheld salaries.

Courts found that the dismissals had no valid reasons or that the victims were denied fair hearings. The judgments underscore the need to give workers adequate time to respond to allegations before terminating employment.

This issue highlights a critical, systemic vulnerability in how public resources are managed at the county government level. When counties struggle to cover recurrent expenditures such as salaries, utilities, and essential day-to-day administrative costs, every shilling lost to avoidable administrative blunders directly compromises public service delivery.

Broader inefficiencies also drain resources that should otherwise stabilise the county's cash flow. Poor budgeting often leads to funds being diverted to ambitious capital projects or political flagship programmes. Delaying payments to suppliers and contractors creates a mountain of pending bills. Over time, these delays attract statutory interest penalties, with the county paying more for a service than its original cost.

To stop this blatant wastage of public funds, counties must ensure that all hiring, firing, and disciplinary actions strictly follow statutory requirements. This criminal incompetence or sheer carelessness should be punished by identifying the culprits and having them surcharged.

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