BY SAM ALFAN.
Wajir Governor Mohammed Abdi has been sued over appointments to the County Public Service board.
In a case filed under certificate of urgency, three residents Ahmed Adan Hefow, Noor Abdi Abdille and Hassan Mahat Farah through lawyer Abdirazak Mohammed accused the governor of conducting a marred exercise with unfairness, inequality and nepotism. They alleged that the people appointed are associated with the County boss.
Governor Abdi is said to have appointed the board’s chairman, secretary and five members to the County public service board, all his relatives.
“The Governor, the Wajir county government and the county assembly has failed or neglected to consider the unique balance and minority rights in the nominations of August 30,” reads the court documents.
The trio now want the court to bar the Wajir county assembly appointment committee, from vetting and approving the seven nominees, pending the determination of the petition.
They are also seeking conservatory orders restraining the county assembly from debating, hearing, adopting and approving the report of the appointment committee in the event it proceeds to do the vetting pending the determination of the matter.
According to documents filed in court, the governor is said to have left out qualified and competent applicants during the interviews, to pave way for the seven unfit, incompetent persons, who happen to be his close relatives.
It is said that the applications were submitted to the governor who nominated a list and forwarded the same to the county assembly for vetting without considering the qualifications of the nominees.
The county Governor is accused of failing to follow the principles and values of the constitution while nominating the seven County public service board members to be vetted by the county assembly.
They also pointed out that in the nominations, minority clans were not considered though qualified as per the advertisement dated June 28.
“That the nominated list is clear in discrimination and shows nepotism at best and flouted the two third gender rule. Further, it does not show ethnic balance,” says lawyer Abdirazak.
High court judge James Makau has certified the matter as urgent and directed the petitioners to serve the Governor, Wajir county government and the county assembly for the hearing.
